Internet and mobile phone services were suspended during the voting process in Pakistan on Thursday as voters complained of facing communication problems due to an outage.

“Update: Real-time network data show that internet blackouts are now in effect in multiple regions of Pakistan in addition to mobile network disruptions,” the NetBlocks said in a post on X.

The government’s decision comes amidst a rise in militant attacks in the run-up to the election and a day after jailed former PM Imran Khan urged his supporters to wait outside polling booths after voting until results are announced.

The caretaker government temporarily suspended mobile phone services on Thursday to strengthen security as voting began in the national election, the interior ministry said.

“As a result of the recent incidents of terrorism in the country precious lives have been lost, security measures are essential to maintain the law and order situation and deal with possible threats, hence the temporary suspension of mobile services across the country,” the interior ministry said in a message on X.

Two blasts near election offices on Wednesday killed 26 people in the southwestern province of Balochistan.

A banned terrorist organisation claimed responsibility for the blasts in a message on its Telegram channel.

The country is on high alert with tens of thousands of troops and paramilitary soldiers on duty across the country, including at polling stations. Pakistan also said it was closing its borders with Iran and Afghanistan for the day for security purposes.

NetBlocks also reported that live network data showed a disruption to mobile internet in Pakistan with a high impact on Zong, corroborating widespread user reports of outages.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has announced his party’s decision to approach the courts and the Election Commission of Pakistan against the decision.

Unofficial first results in the election are expected a few hours after voting closes at 5pm and a clear picture is likely to emerge early on Friday.

The main contests are expected to be between candidates backed by Khan, whose Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party won the last national election, and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) of three-time premier Nawaz Sharif, who is considered the front-runner.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the 35-year-old son of former premier Benazir Bhutto, has also run an aggressive campaign in an outside bid for the top office.

Analysts say there may be no clear winner.

“The deciding factor is which side the powerful military and its security agencies are on,” said Abbas Nasir, a columnist. “Only a huge turnout in favour of PTI can change its fortunes.”

Switched places

Khan accuses the military of a crackdown to hound his party out of existence while analysts and opponents say Sharif is being backed by the generals. But the institution has denied such an allegation.

The two former prime ministers have switched places since the last election in 2018: Khan was believed to be backed by the military then and Sharif was in jail on corruption charges.

“Historically, engineered electoral exercises have not produced stability,” Nasir said, adding, “Economic challenges are so serious, grave, and the solutions so very painful that I am unsure how anyone who comes to power will steady the ship.”

If the election does not result in a clear majority for anyone, as analysts are predicting, tackling multiple challenges will be tricky - foremost being seeking a new bailout programme from International Monetary Fund (IMF) after the current one expires in March.

Smaller political parties could play a crucial role in the formation of a government that will need 169 seats in the 336-member National Assembly. Voters directly elect 266 members while there are 70 reserved seats - 60 for women and 10 for non-Muslims - allotted according to the number of seats won by each party.

Independents, many of whom are being backed by Khan, are free to join any party if they win, which could swing fortunes after the vote. Khan has said his candidates will not back Sharif or Bhutto Zardari.