Iran Press/ Asia: In a bid to “maintain law and order” situation amid the ongoing general elections across the country, the government has suspended mobile phone services nationwide, an Interior Ministry spokesperson confirmed Thursday.
"It has been decided to temporarily suspend the mobile service across the country," a ministry spokesperson said in a statement.
Voters in Pakistan braved cold winter weather and the threat of violence to start voting for a new parliament as twin bombings a day before claimed at least 30 lives.
Tens of thousands of police and paramilitary forces have been deployed at polling stations to ensure security after the pair of bombings at election offices in the southwestern Baluchistan province on Wednesday.
The balloting has also been marred by allegations from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party of imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan that its candidates were denied a fair chance at campaigning in the run-up to Thursday’s vote.
As many as 44 political parties are vying for a share of the 266 seats up for grabs in the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament. An additional 70 seats are reserved for women and minorities in the 336-seat house.
The new parliament will choose the country’s next prime minister and the deep political divisions make a coalition government seem more likely.
Elections are also taking place on Thursday for the nation’s four provincial assemblies.
The last time parliamentary elections were held in 2018, when Mr Khan came to power, a little more than half of the country’s electorate of some 127 million voters cast ballots.
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26 dead, 40 injured in Pakistani Balochistan's bomb blasts
