PM Shehbaz, Zardari and Bilawal cast their votes
Pakistan
Voting for the head of state goes apace
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other political leaders cast their votes during the presidential election in the National Assembly.
Voting for country's head of state is being held simultaneously in the national and provincial assemblies besides the Senate.
Premier Shehbaz Sharif, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Abdul Aleem Khan, Ishaq Dar and other leaders cast their vote in the National Assembly.
Senator Faisal Javed, opposition leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, Asad Qaiser, Akhtar Mengal, Mahmood Khan Achakzai also exercised their right to vote in presidential election.
Meanwhile, 300 senators and members of National Assembly had cast their votes by 3pm. As many as 300 lawmakers in Punjab Assembly had polled their votes by 3:30 pm. In Sindh Assembly 161 out of 162 total lagislators cast their votes.
In Balochistan Assembly with present strength of 62, 46 lawmakers exercised their right to vote for presidential election. Similarly, 109 lawmakers voted for their presidential candidate in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Asssembly. Present strength of the assembly's eligible voters is 111.
Who will be Pakistan's 14th president?
Voting for the presidential election to elect the 14th president of Pakistan for next five years is under way in national and provincial assemblies. The voting will be held from 10am to 4pm without break.
Asif Ali Zardari, the co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and Mahmood Khan Achakzai, the chairman of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), are vying for the prestigious office.
The first vote for the presidential election was cast by Amer Talal and Abdul Aleem Khan cast the second vote. Two polling booths and two counters have been set up in the National Assembly for the voting process.
Former president Asif Ali Zardari, a joint candidate of the PPP, PML-N, MQM-P and other coalition parties, is contesting the presidential election against Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP) chief Mahmood Achakzai, the candidate of the Sunni Ittehad Council.
Sherry Rehman will act as polling agent for Asif Ali Zardari while Senator Sardar Shafique will be the polling agent for Achakzai. Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamer Farooq is acting as presding officer for the election.
How to cast the vote
Voters are required to bring the identity cards issued by the National and provincial assemblies and Senate Secretariat with them. On the ballot paper, the voter will put a cross with a special pencil in front of the name of the candidate of his or her choice.
The voting for the presidential position will be conducted simultaneously in the Senate, National Assembly, and four provincial assemblies. The voting is held through secret ballot.
Similarly, the provincial assemblies will hold their sessions for the election.
MQM-P supports Zardari
Earlier on Friday, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement -Pakistan (MQM-P) said the party would vote PPP-PML-N’s joint candidate Asif Ali Zardari in the presidential election.
Speaking to media after a meeting with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto, MQM-P convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said the presidential election had a great significance after the election of the prime minister, assuring the PPP of voting for Zardari.
