Pakistan’s parties are concluding their electoral appeals following one of the fiercest and bloodiest general election campaign ever recorded in the country.
The three main parties contending the leadership are the PML-N, led by Mr Sharif’s brother and former Pakistan Punjab Chief Minister, Shahbaz Sharif, Mr Kahn’s PTI, and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s PPP.
Latest election polls show the former cricketer, who gained worldwide fame winning the World Cup in 1992, leading the race.
A poll conducted earlier this month on 3,753 people by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) showed the PTI ahead with 4 percentage points.
In another one, conducted by Gallup Pakistan, the PTI leads in the national vote bank while the PML-N is ahead in the crucial province of Punjab.
But the outcome of the election will be determined by those who are still undecided – 14 percent, according to Gallup.
The campaign has been surrounded by concerns the military had been meddling in the election to favour Mr Khan.
The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) warned there were “ample grounds to doubt” the legitimacy of the elections and criticised “blatant, aggressive and unabashed attempts to manipulate the outcome of the upcoming elections.”
But Mr Khan has rejected the accusations.
Follow the Pakistan election 2018 LIVE UPDATES below
Pakistan election: Imran Khan is leading the polls (Image: GETTY)
12.32am update: Election material transported on bikes and without security in Lahore
Despite claims made by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), instances of sheer mismanagement have been reported.
According to a local media report, in the NA-127 constituency in Lahore ballot boxes and other materials were transported on bikes without any proper security arrangements to the polling station.
11.45pm update: Police are transporting polling equipment due to strict security
Election Commission officials have started collecting polling equipment from distribution centres across the country.
Police and army personnel are transporting ballot boxes and voting materials due to strict security.
The code of conduct for polling day has also been
In Cyber Pakhutnkhwa, Pakistani police have already arranged surveillance cars with live video streaming cameras.
Martina Bet takes over reporting from Alice Scarsi
10.45pm update: Baloch activists urging to boycott Pakistan election
Activists from the region of Baloch are urging Baloch people not to cast their ballot on Wednesday.
Baloch people have been demanding for their region to become independent since Pakistan became an independent country.
The behaviour of Pakistan’s authorities have sparked in the past concern and criticism in the international community.
Naela Quadri Baloch, President of World Baloch Women’s Forum, stepped up accusations of violence against Baloch people, saying they are being forced to vote.
She said: “Our free and sovereign country was occupied by Pakistan and Pakistan is violating all International laws.
“Pak is responsible for the genocide of Baloch people.
“To show that Baloch people are part of their parliamentary process, they are forcefully abducting them, displacing Baloch villages and taking them to Army camps for forcefully casting their votes.
“Baloch people don’t want to be part of Pakistan.”
Voters are preparing to cast their ballots (Image: GETTY)
09.55pm update: PML-N leader and brother of jailed former prime minister appeals to voters
Shahbaz Sharif addressed voters after taking part to a public meeting in Lahore, the capital city of the Pakistani province of Punjab.
Writing on Twitter, he said: “Back in Lahore after a gruelling campaign, capped by a huge, charged jalsa in DG Khan, morale among our supporters is very high.
“Leading the campaign in the absence of Mian sahib & with all the hurdles was a big challenge, but our part rose to the occasion. Lucky to have such a good, motivated team.
“We fought the good fight and, what’s more important, we are on the right side of history! Let us VOTE on 25th for the bright future of Pakistan & Pakistanis!”
Punjab has historically been a stronghold of the party, but according to recent polls many said to be undecided.
Shahbaz Sharif, leader of PML-N, appealed to Pakistan voters on Twitter (Image: GETTY)
09.15pm update: Crash course on Pakistan’s election
A total of 342 seats on the National Assembly are up for grabs.
Of these, 272 will be filled by direct elections.
The remaining, assigned to minorities and women, will be distributed by proportional representation among parties gaining more than 5 percent of the vote.
Parties will need a total of 172 seats to form a government.
Voters will take to the polls at 8am PKT (4am BST) on July 25.
The polling stations will remain open for eight hours until 6pm PKT (2am BST).
Votes will be counted on the spot, and results are expected to be declared in the following 24 hours.
Parties will need a total of 172 seats to form a government (Image: GETTY)
08.55pm update: This election represents a “schizophrenic moment” for the country
Moved Yusuf, associate vice president of the Asia Centre at the US Institute of Peace said: “This is quite a schizophrenic moment for Pakistan’s democracy.
“On the one hand, you have completing 10 years of uninterrupted democratic rule.
“On the other hand, you’ve got all sorts of allegations of pre-poll rigging and manipulation.”
After Pakistan gained independence from the British Raj, the military has remained one of the country’s most powerful institutions and has overthrown democratically elected civilian governments four times.
08.20pm update: Ballot boxes are arriving to polling stations
Officials of the Election Commission of Pakistan are collecting ballot boxes and other voting material to be handed over to polling staff.
This exchange will happen in the presence of police and military personnel.
The boxes themselves are being transported to polling stations amid strict security.
More than 350,000 soldiers will be at polling booths on election day to “perform a facilitative role”, according to General Qamar Baja.
A Pakistani soldier carries ballot boxes at a distribution centre in Peshawar (Image: GETTY)
07.45pm update: Elections will bring “instability”
Ayesha Siddiqa, a defence analyst and author of ‘Military Inc.’, said the controversial campaign that came before election day have polarised Pakistani voters and will lead to “instability”.
He said: “Whatever way elections run, I see a lot of instability.”
The analyst argued that, since the campaign has been run amid accusations the election are rigged and Mr Khan has the support of the military, whichever party loses will likely to say fraud has been committed.
06.55pm update: Authorities are trying their best “to hold free and unbiased elections”
Pakistan Chief Election Commissioner Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza said the election commission will “try its best to hold free, fair and unbiased elections”.
The reassurance comes amid accusations from the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) the elections may be rigged.
The HRCP also claimed the military may be trying to push to power Imran Khan.
Pakistani soldiers patrol on a street beside a billboard featuring an image of Imran Khan (Image: GETTY)
06.10pm update: Pakistan’s Punjab holds the key in the election
The large region of Punjab accounts for 141 of the 342 seats in the National Assembly, Pakistan’s parliament.
But voters in the region are the most undecided, which means bad news for the ruling party PML-N, as Punjab has historically been one of the party’s strongholds.
Pakistani journalists Ali Chema and Asad Liaquat said: “What is missing in the current debate on elections in Punjab is that the final result will depend on how the undecided voters finally choose to cast their ballot and also how many voters turn out to vote on the polling day.”
Thousands of armed men will be deployed at polling stations on Wednesday (Image: GETTY)
05.45pm update: Military to be deployed at polling stations
Pakistan’s military will station over 370,000 troops nationwide to ensure the vote goes smoothly.
This is the largest deployment the country has ever seen on an election day.
Authorities said the presence of armed men is required following the terrorist attacks that in the last months claimed the lives of hundreds.
In July alone, almost 200 people died in two separate bombing targeting politicians.
Siraj Raisani, head of the Balochistan Awami Party, died with 149 other people in a suicide bombing earlier this month.
And at least 20 people, including Haroon Bilour, leader of the Awami National Party, died in another suicide attack in the northwest city of Peshawar.
Pakistani voters will elect the 342 members of the National Assembly (Image: GETTY)
05.15pm update: Thousands running for a post
The three main candidates contending the post of prime minister aren’t the only ones that could be elected on Wednesday.
More than 12,570 candidates are contesting the elections to the parliament and four provincial assemblies.
Among them, there are also headline clerics.