After months of unabated violence, including the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, and fears of rigging, an edgy Pakistan today witnessed by and large peaceful polling — there were no terror attacks and there was heavy security across the country — which may well decide the fate of President Pervez Musharraf.Counting of votes began shortly after polling ended at 5 pm. Though initial trends have started coming in, the outcome is expected to be clear by Tuesday morning. Some analysts are already saying there may not be a clear winner. With fears of violence looming large — more than 90 people died in terror attacks in the week leading to the polls — voter turnout took a knocking as the country went to polls after almost eight years of military rule.An unnamed senior official of the Election Commission was quoted by news agencies as saying that the voter turnout was 35 per cent of the estimated 81 million voters. But Free and Fair Election Network, a coalition of 40 civil society groups, said that 42 per cent was the average turnout across Pakistan.President Musharraf, who cast his vote along with wife Sehba and mother Zarin at a polling station in Rawalpindi, promised to work with the new government regardless of who won the vote.“I will say from my side, whichever political party will win, whoever will become prime minister and chief ministers, congratulation to them on my behalf. And I will give them full cooperation as president whatever is my role,” Musharraf told state television.“We would like to work with everyone. I remain committed to the policy of political reconciliation in the larger interest of the country.”Though no major election-related violence took place, tension prevailed in parts of Punjab and Sindh where eight people were killed and 80 persons were injured in clashes between rival political parties, said caretaker Interior minister Hamid Nawaz.While Geo TV reported that 14 people were killed in violence, Benazir’s husband Asif Ali Zardari claimed 15 PPP workers died today.In Larkana, Benazir’s sister-in-law Ghinwa Bhutto had an angry verbal exchange with a local PPP leader as she and her daughter accused the PPP of rigging, a charge they denied.Zardari predicted a PPP win. “Victory is our destiny and we will change the system,” he said as he cast his vote in Nawabshah.From 8 am onward, women and men were seen queuing up to cast votes at polling stations, some in makeshift tents in the heart of Lahore. The start was sluggish but polling picked up momentum as the day progressed.Different voters cast votes for different reasons. Katrina Mansoor, a 50-year-old housewife in Lahore, said, “I had to come out to vote since it became difficult running the kitchen in the last few months.” She was referring to the rising prices of essential commodities like edible oil, flour, even vegetables.Qureish Khattak, a chartered accountant working with a Karachi firm, said, “The economic policies have weakened our currency against the dollar, fuel prices have gone up. How can one not vote in these circumstances?”Ratan Malik, a teacher in Lahore Grammar school, said: “I am here to vote because of the rise in insecurity and terror attacks. Benazir’s killing was the nail in the coffin.”Opinion polls, conducted by international pollsters, have indicated that the PPP and Nawaz Sharif’s PML (N) will emerge winners, that Musharraf’s popularity is at an all-time low. But Musharraf has rubbished these polls and the caretaker government has banned exit polls.Trends give Oppn a reason to smile• Benazir’s PPP leading in Sindh• Sharif’s PML-N ahead in Punjab• MQM doing well in Karachi• Musharraf confidante Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed of PML-Q trailing in Rawalpindi• Polls to elect 272 members of National Assembly, 728 members of provincial assemblies•n 60 seats in NA reserved for women, 10 for minorities
