Pakistan election: 2 children among 9 killed as violence mars polls; mobile services suspended
- At least nine people were killed in militant attacks on Thursday near a polling station in southwestern Pakistan, a provincial security official said
- The attack comes after blasts near election offices on Wednesday killed more than two dozen people
“As a result of the recent incidents of terrorism in the country precious lives have been lost, security measures are essential to maintain the law and order situation and deal with possible threats,” the ministry said in a post on messaging platform X.
Thousands of troops were deployed on the streets and at polling stations across the country as voting commenced and borders with Iran and Afghanistan were temporarily closed.
Four policemen were killed in a bomb blast and firing targeting a police patrol in the Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan district in the northwest during the day, local police chief Rauf Qaisrani said.
One person was killed when gunmen opened fire on a security forces vehicle in Tank, about 40km (25 miles) to the north.
Grenade attacks were also reported in different parts of Balochistan, but polling remained unaffected there since there were no casualties, Saeed Ahmed Umrani, commissioner of the Makran division, told Reuters.
