<strong>Pakistan Election 2018 Live Updates: </strong>Pakistan is voting to elect a new prime minister of the country on Wednesday. The country is holding its 11th general election since 1970 today. It is the second uninterrupted democratic transition of power in the nation's 70-year chequered history amid accusations of manipulation by the powerful army and concerns over the participation of Islamic hardliners in large numbers. Ahead of the polls, Pakistan saw intense campaigning by candidates from key parties - Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan's Peoples Party(PPP). A fierce battle is expected between Imran Khan-led PTI and PMLN led by Nawaz Sharif’s brother and former Pakistan Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. The third in the row is PPP led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, whose support can be crucial in forming a government if none of the parties gets a clear majority. The voting began at 8: 30 am (IST) and will continue till 6:30 pm (IST) at 85,000 polling stations. The counting of votes will be done on the spot soon after polling is concluded and results will be announced within 24 hours. Check this section for LIVE UPDATES: <h2>Pakistan Election 2018 Live Updates</h2> <strong>11: 57 am: Also Read| <a href="https://www.abplive.in/world-news/pakistan-election-2018-pakistani-channels-directed-to-not-air-election-related-content-731326">Pakistani channels directed to not air election-related content</a></strong> <strong>11: 45 am:</strong> Lashkar-e-Taiba chief and Mumbai 26/11 attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed casts his vote at a polling booth in Lahore. <a href="https://static.abplive.in/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/25021726/hafiz.jpg"><img class="alignnone wp-image-731404" src="https://ift.tt/2mG57XO" alt="" width="400" height="235" /></a> <strong>11: 25 am: </strong>Supporters of two rival parties exchanged fire outside a polling station in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa today, killing a worker of former cricketer Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and injuring two others, police said. The incident occured at the polling station in Nawan Kali of Swabi district after voting opened for the general elections. According to a police officer, a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf worker was killed as party activists clashed with Awami National Party supporters. n a separate incident, four persons were injured in a cracker blast outside a political camp in Larkana <strong>11: 30 am: </strong>Several injured in a blast near eastern bypass in Balochistan's Quetta: Pakistan media <strong>11: 19 am:</strong> There are also reports of a man being arrested from Shamsabad in Rawalpindi. He was reportedly trying to smuggle a mobile phone into the International Public Secondary School polling station. <strong>11: 05 am:</strong> Women have started voting in Swabi District of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa despite a ban placed by a local jirga, Dawn reported. Army and police personnel are facilitating the process, bringing the female voters to polling stations. <strong>10: 50 am:</strong> The party workers of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf and Awami National Party have reportedly clashed in PK-57 constituency of Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. One PTI worker has died and two others have been injured in a firing incident related to the clash, as per the report by the Dawn. <strong>10: 33 am: </strong> Pakistan Muslim League -Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif while interacting with media before casting his vote in Lahore's Model Town, reiterated the promises made by the party during the election campaigns. "Do not waste your time. Get out of your homes and cast your vote. We will change the destiny of this country through the power of people. If we come into power, we will end poverty, give education to everyone, make millions of homes, build Bhasha dam," he said, as quoted by the Dawn. <strong>10: 25 am:</strong> Meanwhile, the police have taken into custody an unidentified man who tried entering a polling station in Karachi's Bihar Colony, which falls under the NA-246 constituency. As per the report, the man was reportedly trying to cast a counterfeit vote. <strong>10: 15 am:</strong> According to a <em>Dawn</em> correspondent, voting in Nawabshah did not begin on time as polling agents were not allowed to enter polling stations at 8am. <strong>10: 00 am: </strong> Long queues can be witnessed outside all polling stations in various cities of Pakistan. In addition to male voters, long queues of women can also be seen. <strong>9: 52 am:</strong> Voting is underway amid tight security in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan. <strong>9: 45 am: </strong>Benazir Bhutto's daughters cast their vote <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Daughters of Benazir Bhutto- Bakhtawar and Aseefa after casting their vote in Sindh's Nawabshah. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PakistanElections2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PakistanElections2018</a> <a href="https://t.co/6iZTPSozGb">pic.twitter.com/6iZTPSozGb</a></p> — ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1021975059517321217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2018</a></blockquote> <strong>9: 30 am:</strong> DAWN reports, the early-morning turnout in Nawabshah city seems lower than it was in 2013, according to Dawn correspondents. <strong>9: 23 am:</strong> Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari, Asifa Bhutto Zardari and their aunt Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho have reached polling station in Nawabshah's LBOD Colony to cast their votes. Their vote is in the NA-213 constituency from where Asif Ali Zardari is a candidate. <strong>9: 12 am: </strong>Visuals from polling booth in Lahore <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PakistanElections2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PakistanElections2018</a>: Women queue up outside a polling booth in Lahore to cast their votes. <a href="https://t.co/ebDUU2nfst">pic.twitter.com/ebDUU2nfst</a></p> — ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1021960637252034560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2018</a></blockquote> <strong>9: 03 am: </strong>More than 17,000 polling stations have been declared sensitive across Pakistan, while CCTV cameras have also been installed at the polling stations, reported Geo TV. <strong>8: 57 am:</strong> PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif reaches poll booth to cast his vote <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Lahore: PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif stand in a queue outside a polling station in Model Town to cast his vote for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PakistanElections2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PakistanElections2018</a> <a href="https://t.co/d6AErF3LSv">pic.twitter.com/d6AErF3LSv</a></p> — ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1021955794445762560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2018</a></blockquote> <strong>8: 42 am:</strong> Taking into account the wave of violence and terrorist attacks witnessed in the run-up to the elections, Peshawar's deputy commissioner has arranged 1,000 kafans (burial shroud) as a pre-emptive measure. The troops have been deployed to provide mandated assistance to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to conduct polls, according to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). <strong>8: 38 am: </strong>Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's son Hafiz Talha Saeed and son-in-law Khalid Waleed are also contesting in the elections. They are among 260 candidates fielded under the umbrella of 'Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek', which was registered with the Election Commission in 2011. <strong>8: 33 am:</strong> Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), which critics say has the covert backing of the military establishment, is said to enjoy a slight lead over its rivals and the flamboyant politician has threatened to upset the traditional political bigwigs. <strong>8: 31 am: Voting begins for Pakistan general elections 2018!</strong> <strong>8: 29 am: </strong>While the country is gearing up for the polls, Nawaz and his daughter, Maryam, are currently lodged in Rawalpindi's Adiala jail, after being convicted in the Avenfield reference case. <strong>8: 25 am:</strong> Nawaz Sharif was disqualified as the Prime Minister and as a Member of the National Assembly in July last year after the Panama Papers case decision. After Sharif's disqualification, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was elected as 18th Prime Minister of Pakistan by the National Assembly in August 2017. <strong>8: 22 am:</strong> In the previous elections, PML-N, led by former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, emerged as the largest party with 166 seats out of a total of 342 in the National Assembly. Although the seats were short of a majority, Sharif was able to form a government after several independents joined his party. <strong>8: 19 am: </strong>The Pakistan government has also declared July 25 a public holiday in an effort to encourage maximum voter participation. <strong>8: 12 am:</strong> Polling will end at 6 pm after which counting of votes will begin. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has requested the media not to air unofficial results before 7 pm (PST). <strong>8: 08 am: </strong>To ensure a safe election, as many as 800,000 law enforcement and army personnel have been deployed across the length and breadth of the nation. <strong>8: 02 am:</strong> As many as 105.96 million people will be able to use their right to vote. Twenty-three percent of the total voters would be taking part in the exercise for the first time. <strong>7: 56 am:</strong> The military has ruled Pakistan through various coups for nearly half of the country's history since independence in 1947. Even during the civilian rule, the generals have wielded enormous power, setting the agenda for the country's foreign and security policies. <strong>7: 50 am: </strong>105.96 million registered voters are all set to decide Pakistan's fate today. Around 220 million ballot papers have been printed for the election. The color of ballot paper for the National Assembly is green, whereas white colored paper shall be used for the Provincial Assembly. <strong>7: 45 am:</strong> Welcome to APB News LIVE blog. In the backdrop of a checkered political history, Pakistan goes to vote in the 11th general election today. Amid tight security, the voting will begin at 8 am at 85,000 polling stations. Follow to get the latest updates.
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