Voters register at a polling station in Lahore, Pakistan on Feb. 8, 2024. (Photo by Sajjad/Xinhua)
In this election, two major political parties, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan People's Party, alongside several other parties, fielded their candidates across the four provinces of the country.
By Misbah Saba Malik
ISLAMABAD, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- Standing in a long queue of mostly young voters inside a polling station here, Zoha Mir, 23, was eagerly awaiting to cast the first vote of her life in Pakistan's general elections 2024.
"I am so excited to vote because by using the power of vote I can play a vital role in quelling the prevailing uncertainty and political turmoil in Pakistan," waving the flag of a political party draped around her arm, Mir told Xinhua.
Mir, who became eligible to cast her vote after turning 18, as per the country's law, said that even in the last election, she could vote, but she never realized the significance of the electoral process before this year.
"We have seen many ups and downs in political and economic spheres in the last few years, inflation skyrocketed, and the health and education sector faced challenges, so I believe that I should exercise my right to vote to choose the party that demonstrates the greatest potential to enact positive change in Pakistan," she added.
Election staff collect voting materials at a distribution center in Peshawar, northwestern Pakistan, on Feb. 7, 2024. (Photo by Saeed Ahmad/Xinhua)
In this election, two major political parties, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People's Party (PPP), alongside several other parties, fielded their candidates across the four provinces of the country.
The third major political party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), is absent from the election race this year, as the party lost its election symbol following a verdict given by the country's apex court.
However, the party is leveraging its public appeal to field its members as independent candidates in the elections.
This year, about 22 million new voters have been registered by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), taking the total number of voters to over 128 million in the South Asian country.
Security personnel are seen outside the building of the Election Commission of Pakistan in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan on Feb. 5, 2024. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)
Sarwar Abid, a software engineer in Pakistan's east Lahore city, was voting for the fifth general elections, but he never saw the enthusiasm in young voters he witnessed this year, enkindling his hope for a positive change.
"The sight of throngs of youth flocking to the polling station to exercise their voting rights has pleasantly surprised me," Abid said, adding that "in all my years, I have never witnessed such a large number of young individuals waking up early, eagerly queuing up to cast their votes.
He said that the youth gave him great hope for the future, "as today's Pakistani youth exhibit a heightened awareness of the country's prevailing challenges, unlike the youth of my generation."
People shop at a market in southern Pakistani port city of Karachi on Feb. 1, 2023. (Str/Xinhua)
He said that his country has a lot of potential to be economically stable and tap on the potential of the ongoing economic uplift projects including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and a stable political government is the only solution.
During the whole day, local TV channels aired special election coverage, offering insights and analysis on the status of various constituencies.
Additionally, local celebrities from the entertainment and sports industries utilized their social media platforms to urge citizens to vote for the candidate they deemed most suitable for a high turnover in the elections. ■
