Islamabad, The nation is poised to head to the polls tomorrow to elect members of the National Assembly and four Provincial Assemblies, with the electoral process scheduled to run from eight in the morning until five in the evening. In an effort to ensure maximum voter turnout, the day has been declared a public holiday, allowing citizens to exercise their voting rights without any hindrance.

According to Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, voters have been reminded to carry their original Computerized National Identity Cards (CNIC), including expired ones, to be eligible to vote. In preparation, citizens are encouraged to verify their voting details by sending their CNIC number via SMS to 8300 before polling day. The elections will see a contest for 265 seats in the National Assembly and 590 seats across the four provincial assemblies, with a total of 5,121 candidates vying for positions in the National Assembly—comprising 4,807 men, 312 women, and two transgender candidates. The provincial assemblies have drawn 12,695 candidates, including 12,123 men, 570 women, and two transgender individuals.

The country boasts 128,585,760 registered voters, with Punjab leading in voter registration numbers at 73,207,896, followed by Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and the Federal Capital Islamabad. To accommodate this vast electorate, 90,777 polling stations have been established nationwide. Security classifications for these stations range from normal to highly sensitive, with significant security measures in place to ensure the safety and integrity of the voting process.

Approximately 650,000 security personnel, including police, civil armed forces, and armed forces members, have been deployed. These forces will operate under a three-tiered system, focusing on maintaining security outside the polling stations to ensure a smooth and secure electoral process. The Election Commission has announced that all preparations, including the delivery of around 260 million ballot papers, have been finalized.

In Islamabad, additional security measures include the deployment of 6,500 personnel from the Islamabad Police, 1,000 from the Frontier Corps, 1,500 Rangers, and Pakistan Army soldiers, all of whom will remain stationed at polling stations overnight. A central control room for the elections has also been established in Safe City to oversee and manage the electoral process effectively.