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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Hannah Ellis-Petersen South Asia correspondent

Election turmoil leaves Pakistan with a weak and unpopular coalition

Supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party wave flags and hold banners
Supporters of the PTI party protest in Peshawar against alleged vote-rigging. Photograph: Arshad Arbab/EPA

It was mid-afternoon on Pakistan’s election day, sources say, when military intelligence began to realise that things on the ground were not going as planned.

Mobile services, including the internet, had been suspended across the country on the pretext of security issues. Those aware of the decision-making said the real reason was to keep voter turnout low, making the results much easier for Pakistan’s powerful military to “manage” and, most importantly, keep supporters of the former prime minister Imran Khan away from the ballot box.

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