愛污传媒

World

    • Pakistan vote counts drags on after election marred by attacks, outages

    Members of polling staff start counting the votes following polls closed for parliamentary elections, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Pervez Masih) Members of polling staff start counting the votes following polls closed for parliamentary elections, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Pervez Masih)
    Share
    ISLAMABAD -

    Pakistan's vote count following a national election on Thursday was hit by unusual delays, leading the country's election panel to issue a late night warning to polling officers, 10 hours after polls closed, to release results immediately.

    The election had already been marred by militant attacks and suspension of mobile phone services, with no indication of a clear leader many hours after voting ended.

    The South Asian country is struggling to recover from an economic crisis while it grapples with rising militant violence in a deeply polarized political environment.

    An "internet issue" was the reason behind the delay, said Zafar Iqbal, special secretary at the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), after he announced the first official results for a constituency, more than ten hours after the polling process ended.

    The main contests are expected to be between candidates backed by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, whose party won the last national election, and the Pakistan Muslim League of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who analysts say is being backed by the powerful military.

    With counting continuing through the night, a clear picture was likely to emerge early on Friday.

    Projected results on all local television channels were unusually slow coming in. In previous elections, by midnight local time on election day, there was a clearer picture about which party had a substantial lead.

    But most projections on television channels were below 20 per cent on each of the 265 seats contested.

    "The Election Commission has ordered all provincial election commissioners and returning officers to announce all results in half an hour or strict action will be taken," a statement from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said, minutes before it announced its first official result.

    But most projections on television channels were below 20 per cent on each of the 265 seats contested.

    The national assembly has 265 seats and polling in one seat was postponed due to the death of a candidate. A party needs 133 seats for a simple majority but many analysts believe the vote may not produce a clear winner

    Sharif, considered by many analysts to be a strong candidate, dismissed talk of an unclear result.

    "Don't talk about a coalition government. It is very important for a government to get a clear majority... It should not be relying on others," he told reporters after casting his vote in the eastern city of Lahore.

    Thousands of troops were deployed on the streets and at polling stations across the country and borders with Iran and Afghanistan were temporarily closed as security was stepped up to ensure peaceful polling.

    Despite the heightened security, nine people, including two children, were killed in bomb blasts, grenade attacks and shootings.

    At least 26 people were killed in two explosions near electoral candidates' offices in the southwestern province ofBalochistan on Wednesday. Islamic State later claimed responsibility for those attacks.

    Members of polling staff count the votes after the polls closed for parliamentary elections, in Karachi, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

    Thursday's victims included five police killed in a bomb blast and firing on a patrol in the Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan district in the northwest, authorities said. Two children died in a blast outside a women's polling station in Balochistan.

    "Despite a few isolated incidents, the overall situation remained under control, demonstrating the effectiveness of our security measures," caretaker Interior Minister Gohar Ejaz said in a statement.

    Mobile phone services suspended for security reasons were being partially resumed, the Interior Ministry said late on Thursday.

    Former cricket superstar Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, in a post on X, called on people to remove passwords from their personal Wifi accounts "so anyone in the vicinity" could have internet access.

    Washington was concerned about "steps that were taken to restrict freedom of expression, specifically around internet and cellphone use," State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters.

    The U.S. strongly condemned election-related violence both in the run-up to the polls and on election day, Patel added.

    In spite of the security worries and bitter winter cold, people lined up at polling stations hours before voting was due to start. "The country is at stake, why should I come late?" said 86-year-old Mumtaz, a housewife a decade older than Pakistan itself as she queued up in Islamabad.

    Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar said there had been high voter turnout in "a clear indication of public commitment to shaping the future of our country."

    Mobile networks

    The move to suspend mobile networks sparked criticism from leaders of opposition parties, with the Pakistan Peoples Party's Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the 35-year-old son of assassinated former premier Benazir Bhutto, calling for its "immediate restoration."

    Amnesty International called it "a blunt attack on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly."

    Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja said the decision on mobile networks was made by "law and order agencies" following Wednesday's violence.

    The military has dominated the nuclear-armed country either directly or indirectly in its 76 years of independence but for several years it has maintained it does not interfere in politics.

    "The deciding factor is which side the powerful military and its security agencies are on," said Abbas Nasir, a columnist. "Only a huge turnout in favor of (Khan's) PTI can change its fortunes."

    He added: "Economic challenges are so serious, grave, and the solutions so very painful that I am unsure how anyone who comes to power will steady the ship."

    If the election does not result in a clear majority foranyone, as analysts are predicting, tackling multiple challenges will be tricky - foremost being seeking a new bailout program from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after the current arrangement expires in March.

    Reporting by Gibran Peshimam and Charlotte Greenfield in Islamabad, Mushtaq Ali in Peshawar, Salim Ahmed in Quetta, and Saud Mehsud in Dera Ismail Khan; additional reporting by Simon Lewis in Washington; Writing by Sakshi Dayal and YP Rajesh; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Nick Macfie and Alistair Bell

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    A former Alberta teacher has been sentenced to four years for sexually abusing a student.

    Ontario will not allow international students in medical schools beginning in the fall of 2026, and will also cover tuition for more than 1,000 students who commit to becoming a family doctor in Ontario, Premier Doug Ford said Friday.

    Here's a look at Musk's contact with Putin and why it matters

    Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of major government contractor SpaceX and a key ally of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the last two years, The Wall Street Journal reported.

    A B.C. nurse has been suspended for one week for diverting narcotics from their workplace and using them personally, according to the regulatory body for the profession.

    Winnipeg police are looking for a suspect after a woman's dorm room was broken into at the U of M and she was assaulted.

    Canada

    • A former Alberta teacher has been sentenced to four years for sexually abusing a student.

    • A B.C. nurse has been suspended for one week for diverting narcotics from their workplace and using them personally, according to the regulatory body for the profession.

    • A Montreal man is charged with first-degree murder in connection to the stabbing death of a woman at a park in Ottawa鈥檚 south end on Thursday.

    • The GoFundMe page for the family of an employee found dead at a Halifax Walmart last weekend has paused donations after almost $200,000 was raised in roughly 24 hours.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

    Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.

    He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

    A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

    Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

    A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

    A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

    A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

    Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

    • Video has surfaced on social media of a fight on a Burnaby golf course earlier this month, wherein a man appears to strike a fellow golfer with his club.

    • Employers and the union representing foremen at British Columbia's ports will return to the negotiating table next week with a mediator in the latest push for a resolution in the labour dispute.

    • Mounties in Nanaimo are asking the public for help as they investigate a fatal hit-and-run collision that killed a man southeast of the city Thursday evening.

    • Police say they are searching for a second suspect wanted in connection with the murder of a 37-year-old Brampton man who was shot to death in Toronto last month.

    • An infant has died and a woman is in hospital with life-threatening injuries after they were pulled from a burning home in the city's west end overnight.

    • Five years after a 16-year-old boy was intentionally struck by a vehicle in East York and left for dead, police say they are still searching for the driver and pleading for the passenger to speak to investigators.

    • The Alberta legislature is set to reconvene on Monday and the Danielle Smith government will be providing more details about its plans for the session.

    • An investigation into the death of a man in Calgary police custody earlier this month has concluded that officers did not contribute to his death and that he was cared for properly.

    • A section of construction work along Deerfoot Trail is now complete, but Calgarians can expect more work to continue on the busy roadway over the next few years.

    • A Montreal man is charged with first-degree murder in connection to the stabbing death of a woman at a park in Ottawa鈥檚 south end on Thursday.

    • An unusual item was found parked at the bottom of the historic Rideau Canal as Parks Canada drained the water this week 鈥 electric scooters.

    • One person is dead after a crash involving an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) in eastern Ontario. Frontenac County OPP responded to a crash involving an ATV on a trail in Ardoch, Ont., 30 km north of Sharbot Lake.

    • Quebec's social services minister says he's outraged by reports that educators at a detention centre for youth in Montreal had sexual relations with minor detainees 鈥 and that one of the employees allegedly had a baby with a teenage resident.

    • A man and a woman are dead after a house fire west of the Island of Montreal in the municipality of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield.

    • Infectious disease specialists are concerned about a rise in the number of 'walking pneumonia' cases and that the disease is appearing in younger children.

    • A former Alberta teacher has been sentenced to four years for sexually abusing a student.

    • Edmonton Oilers alumni Randy Gregg and Craig MacTavish were celebrated Friday morning ahead of their induction into the team's hall of fame in the evening.

    • Although Edmonton City Hall is a stone鈥檚 throw from the Alberta Legislature, Oil City feels the need to hire a third party to get its voice heard by the UCP government.

    • The GoFundMe page for the family of an employee found dead at a Halifax Walmart last weekend has paused donations after almost $200,000 was raised in roughly 24 hours.

    • Gas prices dropped slightly in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick overnight, while there was no change on Prince Edward Island for the second week in a row.

    • The Halifax Regional Municipality will soon be home to three new schools that will replace aging infrastructure and meet the new demands of the communities.

    • Winnipeg police are looking for a suspect after a woman's dorm room was broken into at the U of M and she was assaulted.

    • The U.S. presidential election between Vice-President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump is attracting interest north of the border.

    • Winnipeg police are concerned about the well-being of a teenage girl who has been missing for two weeks.

    • Saturday will mark the end of the CFL regular season, and the Saskatchewan Roughriders will have their eyes on Winnipeg鈥檚 matchup versus Montreal to know if they have a chance of clinching the West Division.

    • The police watchdog group Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) has been deployed to Fort Qu'Appelle after a person went into medical distress while in custody on Friday.

    • As the final day of voting for the Saskatchewan election inches closer, voters may be wondering when official winners will be declared.

    • Geovanny Villalba-Aleman, the man who stabbed three people in a gender studies class at the University of Waterloo, says he 鈥榓cted dumb鈥.

    • People in the Weber Street East and Madison Avenue North area of Kitchener may need to find an alternate route this morning as police investigate a stabbing.

    • Fire crews responded to a house fire in St. Clements Thursday night.

    • Police have still not confirmed the identity of a body discovered in Prince Albert last week.

    • A 31-year-old man has been charged with arson following multiple fires that were deliberately set in the Mayfair neighbourhood on Thursday morning.

    • As the final day of voting for the Saskatchewan election inches closer, voters may be wondering when official winners will be declared.

    • Two people 鈥 one from Timmins, the other from Kapuskasing -- have been fined more than $7,000 for camping violations, including empty septic tanks directly onto the ground.

    • The roadway is now open after a school bus was involved in a collision Friday at the intersection of MR80 and Valleyview Road in the Valley East area of Greater Sudbury.

    • A former Alberta teacher has been sentenced to four years for sexually abusing a student.

    • Just after 2:00 p.m. on Friday, October 25, London police took 28 year old Cody M Leblanc Ashe into custody, after he was located in the area of Grosvenor and Harley streets.

    • A new staff report calls for homeless encampments to be allowed even closer to residential neighbourhoods, reducing the buffer zone from 100 metres to 25 metres.

    • On Wednesday afternoon just before 4:30 p.m., a man and woman entered a business in the area of Oxford Street East and Highbury Avenue North.

    • Ontario Premier Doug Ford blasted a recent vote by County of Simcoe council to instill pay increases for councillors during an unrelated news conference Friday morning.

    • As Barrie faces a housing shortfall, builders are looking to the skies, developing condo towers, including one that stands out unlike anything the city has ever seen.

    • A 15-year veteran officer with the South Simcoe Police Service has been charged with discreditable conduct following an allegation of sexual assault.

    • breaking

      breaking

      The Windsor Police Service is investigating a suspicious death in south-central Windsor.

    • A Harrow school is memorializing two students and their mother, who were tragically killed in June.

    • With Halloween just around the corner, there are plenty of spooktacular events in Windsor-Essex this weekend.

    • Environment Canada has issued wind warnings for Metro Vancouver and much of Vancouver Island as a storm system is expected to ravage British Columbia's south coast.

    • Search and rescue crews are working against the clock Friday, trying to locate the body of a man who went missing near the Coquitlam River.

    • A B.C. nurse has been suspended for one week for diverting narcotics from their workplace and using them personally, according to the regulatory body for the profession.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.

    • The City of Lethbridge is bringing forward a water conservation policy, the first of its kind for the city.

    • The Royal Canadian Legion General Stewart Branch is getting ready to launch its annual poppy campaign this weekend.

    • An investigation is underway after a motorcycle collision Thursday night that left one man dead.

    • The Anishinabek Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police are investigating the circumstances around a death in Fort William First Nation.

    • A 44-year-old suspect has been charged after police in Sault Ste. Marie spotted a vehicle running in a parking lot Thursday night.

    • Two Americans who veered into the Canadian side of Lake Huron and caught fish during the National Walleye Tour last year have been fined by an Ontario court.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 愛污传媒. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 愛污传媒