Скачать или смотреть Voting begins in Pakistan's general election

(8 Feb 2024)
RESTRICTIONS SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Karachi - 8 February 2024
1. Various exteriors of a polling station people waiting to vote
2. Close of soldier
3. Various of a soldier with an AK-47 and police in the background outside polling station
4. Various of people outside polling station
5. Mid of a soldier
6. Mid of a woman
7. Various of a man holding up his thumb after voting
8. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Muhammad Ali, came from Dubai to cast his vote:
“Pakistan is our country, our families lives here, and our children's future belongs to this country. I came to vote so a good government will come, we are looking for a good economy and for a good image of Pakistan abroad, and for the good future of our children.”
9. Various of people leaving after voting
10. Various of people receiving ballot paper
STORYLINE:
The polls have opened Thursday morning in Pakistan's general election, after a series of deadly bombings rocked the Islamic republic.

Pakistanis braved cold winter weather and the threat of violence to vote for a new parliament Thursday a day after twin bombings claimed at least 30 lives in the worst election-related violence ahead of the contested elections.

The coup-prone South Asian nation, with a population of more than 240 million, was holding elections for only a third transition between civilian governments in several decades.

Tens of thousands of police and paramilitary forces have been deployed at polling stations to ensure security. Still, on the eve of the election, a pair of bombings at election offices in restive southwestern Baluchistan province killed at least 30 people and wounded more than two dozen others.

The balloting has also been marred by allegations from the political party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, which has said that its candidates were denied a fair chance at campaigning.

Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament in 2022, he is behind bars and banned from running, though he still commands a massive following.

However, it's unclear if his angry and disillusioned supporters will turn up at the polls in great numbers.

The election comes at a critical time for this nuclear-armed nation, an unpredictable Western ally bordering Afghanistan, China, India and Iran. Pakistan’s next government will face huge challenges, from containing unrest, overcoming an intractable economic crisis to stemming illegal migration.

The country's election panel said polls will close at 5 p.m. local time in Pakistan.

More than 128 million people are eligible to vote, making it one of the largest democratic exercises in the world, the election panel said.

AP video shot by Mohammad Farooq

===========================================================

Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: [email protected].

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...