- By-polls underway for 5 NA seats, 12 in Punjab, 2 each in KP and Balochistan assemblies.
- Cellular services to remain suspended on April 21-22 in certain districts.
- PTA says decision has been taken on the directives of Interior Ministry.
Polling has started for by-elections on 21 National Assembly and provincial assembly seats in the first major electoral exercise after the February 8 elections, Geo News reported Sunday.
The voting will continue till 5pm today without any interval.
Voting is being held for five NA seats, 12 in the Punjab Assembly and two each in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan assemblies.
In Punjab, NA-132 (Kasur) and NA-119 (Lahore) were vacated by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
PM Shehbaz also gave up two of his provincial assembly seats in Lahore — PP-158 and PP-164 — retaining his NA-123 seat in the National Assembly.
In Sindh, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari vacated NA-196 (Qamber Shadadkot).
In KP, the NA-44 (Dera Ismail Khan) seat was left vacant after provincial Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur retained his provincial assembly seat, PK-113.
The NA-8 (Bajaur) constituency was left vacant after one of the candidates — Rehan Zeb Khan — was murdered in the run-up to the February 8 general elections.
No cellular service
In a bid to safeguard the integrity and security of the electoral process, the federal government has decided to temporarily suspend the cellular services in specific districts of Punjab and Balochistan during the electoral process today.
In a statement, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said that in line with the directions of the Ministry of Interior, the cellular services will be temporarily suspended in certain districts of the two provinces for two days.
“This decision has been taken to safeguard the integrity and security of the electoral process,” the PTA said.
Punjab requested the federal government to suspend mobile internet services in the province’s 13 districts and tehsils today.
The request has been made to maintain law and order situation in the province and avoid any untoward incident.
In a letter to the interior ministry, the provincial home department requested the suspension, as by-elections are scheduled on nearly two dozen National and provincial assembly constituencies tomorrow.
According to the letter, the request for the suspension of mobile internet services has been made for Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Sadiqabad, Kot Chutta, and Dera Ghazi Khan districts.
Meanwhile, the tehsils where suspension is requested include Talagang, Chakwal, Kallar Kahar, Gujarat, Ali Pur Chatha, Zafarwal and Bhakkar.
