Pakistanis Vote In Tense Election

People in Pakistan are voting in a crucial election overshadowed by political violence and fears of fraud.

The parliamentary poll was delayed after the killing of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, and is intended to complete a transition to civilian rule.

The two major opposition parties say President Pervez Musharraf's allies are planning massive fraud. They have vowed to protest if they suspect foul play.

One of the worst acts of violence saw 47 killed at a rally on Saturday.

Voting was slow in major cities on Monday morning.

The BBC's Chris Morris, in Islamabad, says 80 million people are eligible to vote, but many are expected to stay at home, largely because of fears about security.

He adds the slow start may also be due to people taking advantage of the public holiday and enjoying a lie-in.

He says that while voters are mindful of the broader significance of the election, concerns about the price of food and fuel are also affecting their choices.

Polls close at 1700 (1200 GMT).

Another correspondent said apprehensive voters might be waiting in front of their televisions to see if there were any attacks on polling stations. Since there were no reports of major incidents by midday, that might encourage them to get out and vote.

'Nation at stake'

Both Ms Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which is leading in opinion polls, and the party of her former rival Nawaz Sharif reiterated concerns that the vote would be rigged on Sunday.

President Musharraf says the vote will be free and fair

Ms Bhutto's widower and successor as party leader, Asif Ali Zardari, has threatened street protests in the event of vote-rigging.

"I think we have reached the breaking point where if we don't band together, we will lose this great nation which we call Pakistan," he said on Sunday.

There are many local election observers on the ground. But apart from a contingent from the EU, not many international observers are present - some have not been invited, while others have stayed away due to concerns about gaining access to the vote.

Security tight

The authorities have stressed repeatedly that the vote will be free and fair.

However, one polling station in Lahore was shut down on Monday due to suspected irregularities, while an election officer in another constituency was arrested over hundreds of missing ballot papers.

President Musharraf has warned against street protests.

Close to half a million security personnel, including about 80,000 soldiers, have been deployed for the voting.

The BBC's Barbara Plett, outside a polling station in Lahore, described a barrier designed to prevent car bombs and a heavy police presence.

She said men and women were in separate queues for voting.

There were reports that some people had struggled to find their names on the register and were going away angry, suspecting rigging - though it may just have been poor organisation.

In one tribal area near Peshawar, she said, elders had banned women from voting. The area is a PPP stronghold and the ban may affect the outcome, since the party is well supported by women.

On Sunday, four soldiers were killed when their vehicle hit an explosive device in Balochistan province, police said.

In two separate incidents in Lahore, gunmen opened fire on supporters of Mr Sharif's PML-N party, with at least three people killed, including a candidate in the provincial election.

Two bombs went off in a volatile north-western province, but no injuries were reported.

Prospects

Analysts say polls suggest a fair vote is likely to result in a hung parliament, with none of the three biggest parties winning a majority.

Barbara Plett says that if the PPP then joins forces with pro-Musharraf parties, there may be a backlash within its rank and file, which blames the president for Ms Bhutto's murder.

But, she says, if it forms an alliance with Mr Sharif's party there could be confrontation with the presidency.

Mr Sharif has refused to work with the president unless he reinstates judges sacked when he imposed emergency rule late last year, in what was widely seen as an attempt to head off a challenge to his re-election as president.

It the two opposition parties jointly gain two-thirds of the seats, they may try to impeach President Musharraf.


Mr Musharraf stepped down as army chief late last year. He has ruled the country since seizing power in a coup in 1999.

The nuclear-armed country is a key ally in the so-called US "war on terror", with President Musharraf's government facing a growing pro-Taleban insurgency.