Campaigning stops at midnight on Thursday. PHOTO: ABID NAWAZ/EXPRESS/FILE
The ECP has said that any violation of the deadline will warrant disqualification of the concerned candidates. They can be fined upto Rs100‚000 and the returning officers can withhold their results.
Polling will be held on Saturday, May 11, from 8am to 5pm without any break.
The last day of the electioneering saw a flurry of activity by political parties throughout the country who took out rallies and held public meetings.
Just minutes before the time ran out, public meetings by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and the Pakistan Peoples Party came to an end in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
Nawaz Sharif was present at his rally to address the gathered supporters in Lahore. He urged his supporters to vote for his party.
Meanwhile, PTI chief Imran Khan spoke to his supporters in Islamabad via a video link from his hospital bed in Lahore. He called on his supporters to vote for his party to realise their dreams for a "Naya Pakistan".
PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari addressed his party's supporters, gathered in Rawalpindi, via a pre-recorded video message where he called on the people of Rawalpindi to repay the debt of her mother's blood by voting for the PPP. The PPP chairman has not addressed any of his party's election rally in person due to terror threats.
The final day of the campaign took another dramatic turn when on Thursday evening gunmen kidnapped the son of former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. They also killed his secretary and one of his bodyguards besides wounding four other people in the process.
COMMENTS (10)
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Let us see who wins TTP supported and guaranteed parties or the victims of TTP terror? Common Pakistani voters have never voted for mullahs let alone the TTP type terrorists. No matter what the urban elites predict they would be humbled by the voters from the rural heartland of Pakistan. No to terrorists and their supporters, yet to secular and nationalist parties who have been standing tall against the terrorists.
Really bad decisions by the ECP. Why is polling only open from 8 - 5?? It is going to be a very hot day, which means that many people with young children or older people will not be able to go out in the heat. Why not keep the polling open until 9 or 10 pm, so people can go when it has cooled down a little bit? Longer hours will also help to ease congestion and make the queues shorter.
Nawaz and Imran spice up the campaign and everyone has enjoyed it. TV paid advertisements were excellent. Now wait and see performance of new government
@Dr.X but the ET did covered the Qadri's rally in Islamabad. Are you referring to that rally??
Every political party was seen busy in convincing its voters to come out on May 11, 2013 to cast their votes.
Unusually, due to many bomb blasts attacks on political party offices, most of the political activities like jailsas in the big grounds could not be held due to security threats.
Whenever the general election are held in Pakistan this seems to be exams for all candidates, no matter which political party they belongs to, and the examiners who are the voters will examine the candidates carefully before the voters cast their votes in favour of their choice of candidates.
Let's hope that those candidates who have worked very hard during the last five years are re-elected by the voters to serve the nation for rest of the five years, and after that innocents voters will be running from pillar to post to meet their elected representatives, but they will not be available, for the voters, as usual, in order to serve the masses.
No coverage of Islamabad's biggest political rally in history.....what a shame ET!
IMRAN KHAN will bring development and economic growth,improve social harmony and will bring much needed strength and backbone to a centre that has been utterly without backbone since Asif Ali Zardari took office. IMRAN KHAN Will reduce corruption and improve governance,Nawaz Sharif will bring power cuts and endlessly delayed infrastructure projects. Nawaz Sharif will bring corruption and looting of national wealth.Nawaz Sharif will take orders from his masters in to work to undermine and sabotage Pakistan's progress. The choice is clear. If Pakistanis (especially ''educated'' Middle Class Pakistanis) are too STUPID to see the obvious choice here, then they DESERVE to be stolen from, unsafe and live in terror stricken Pakistan.. Choice is yours...VOTE sensibly and VOTE IMRAN KHAN
IMRAN KHAN 2013 IN SHA ALLAH
Loata is missing from the picture
I saw both Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif speeches. I don't know but I felt body language of Nawaz Sharif was not very good and confident. I think PPP paid advertisements have demoralized Nawaz Sharif.
On the other hand Imran khan looked confident from the hospital bed. I must say that turn out on this election will be more than 60%.
I don't support the family limted parties.