Pakistan Holds General Elections

The main competition is between the Muslim League led by former prime minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led by former prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, along with parties supporting these two factions.

The Pakistan People’s Party, led by former minister of foreign affairs of Pakistan Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, also holds significant power among Pakistani parties; although, it is unlikely for the party to capture enough votes for the prime ministerial position and may end up being part of a coalition government.

Imran Khan is currently in prison and prohibited from participating in elections and holding government positions, but members of his party have found the opportunity to participate in the parliamentary elections in Pakistan, and he has also supported candidates from his party.

Opposition groups in Pakistan, especially separatist Baloch groups, have threatened to attack polling stations. In this regard, several explosions have been reported in various areas of the Balochistan province, but due to partial internet outages, details have not been fully published so far.