Our correspondent Abubakar Siddique (@Sid_Abu) on the vote in Pakistan's tribal regions.
A Mixed Picture In The Tribal Areas
Reports from across Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) indicate that voting in the insurgency-plagued region along the Afghan border has gone forward without major disruptions.
People have voted in 11 of 12 national assembly constituencies across FATA. The government did postpone elections in one constituency in Kurram because of possible attacks on the polling station.
Voting in the Bajaur tribal district went smoothly with women voting in major towns and population centers. In Mohmand, women were able to cast a ballot for the first time.
But in some parts of North Waziristan, a sanctuary for Taliban and Al-Qaeda leaders, women were warned through a mosque loudspeaker not to leave their houses to head to polling places.
There were also instances of confusion and outright fighting in some polling stations for FATA's displaced population in neighboring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. Such problems led to the postponing of elections for some polling stations in a constituency in the area.
Overall, though, it seems FATA's beleaguered residents have embraced the electoral process with optimism.
- A.S.
14:3611.5.2013
NA 54: police arrive 25 mins before polling ends, forcefully empty out polling station; fewer number of ballot papers than registered voters
— Mehreen Zahra-Malik (@mehreenzahra) May 11, 2013
14:4211.5.2013
Some photos from Pakistan's day at the polls:
Photo Gallery:
Pakistanis Vote In Historic Parliamentary Elections
Pakistanis are voting in landmark parliamentary elections that mark the country's first democratic transition of power between civilian governments. The country has been ruled by the military for more than half of its history. (Photographs by RFE/RL Radio Mashaal correspondents)
14:4411.5.2013
RT @fazeelataslam: ECP makes statement: polls have not been free and fair in Karachi.
This is a video from an IDP camp near Peshawar. Most of the people in the camp are from Kurram. One need not speak Pashto to understand that their voting experience was not ideal.
15:5011.5.2013
"With the help of God and all institutions of the state, the Election Commission of Pakistan has been successful in fulfilling its primary task of holding free and fairs polls in the country."
