In Pakistan's by-elections, polling for 21 national and provincial seats started

In Pakistan's by-elections, polling for 21 national and provincial seats started

The Pakistani Election Commission said that voting will start at 8 a.m. and run continuously until 5 p.m., with the option for voters who were already on the polling station grounds to continue casting ballots beyond the designated closing time.

Due to severe security measures and the suspension of internet and cellphone service in several parts of Punjab and Balochistan in order to preserve peace and order, polling for 21 national and provincial seats in the by-elections in Pakistan started on Sunday.

The Pakistani Election Commission said that voting will start at 8 a.m. and run continuously until 5 p.m., with the option for voters who were already on the polling station grounds to continue casting ballots beyond the designated closing time.

On February 8, general elections were place nationwide to choose members for the national legislature and four provincial assemblies.

However, elections for one seat in the National Assembly, two seats in the Punjab Assembly, and one seat in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly were canceled.

The Election Commission of Pakistan had to arrange by-elections for 21 seats, including five national and sixteen provincial assembly seats, when candidates who won several seats chose to run for just one following the polls.

One day before, the federal government said that during the by-elections, cellphone services will be temporarily halted in some areas of Punjab and Balochistan. The ECP submitted the suspension request.

The decision was made, according to a statement from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), to protect the security and integrity of the election process.

While voting for twelve Punjab Assembly seats and two each of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan assembly begun, by-elections are being conducted for two National Assembly seats in each of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, as well as one seat in Sindh.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz relinquished their seats in Punjab, NA-132 (Kasur) and NA-119 (Lahore), respectively. Shehbaz also forfeited two of his provincial assembly seats in Lahore.

The prime minister kept his National Assembly seat, NA-123.

Authorities have implemented sophisticated security measures to ensure calm during the day-long by-election process, including the deployment of regular army personnel to manage the law and order situation.

In order to maintain peace, the ECP has requested permission from the federal government to send Pakistan Army and Civil Armed Forces (CAF) forces.

The federal government declared the deployment of military forces units as a rapid reaction force and approved the action.

The Pakistan Army and the CAF would be utilized as the second and third levels of security, and they would be available in all 21 constituencies immediately until April 22nd, according to a notice released by the Ministry of Interior on Friday.

The ECP would determine the precise troop strength, deployment date and duration, deployment region, and deployment manner in collaboration with all relevant parties, taking into account the needs and assessments on the ground. According to the announcement, "all stakeholders will mutually consult to determine the date of de-requisitioning of the said deployment."

In order to preserve peace and order, the Punjab administration had previously requested that the federal government halt mobile internet access in each of the province's 13 districts and tehsils on April 21.

This action takes place in spite of harsh condemnation from political figures and the media for a similar move on February 8 that included suspending mobile services in some areas in order to preserve peace and order.