AFP reporters in Islamabad were unable to access mobile internet services as polls opened at 8am.

Islamabad:

Pakistan has suspended mobile phone services across the country on election day Thursday, citing the need to “maintain law and order,” the interior ministry said.

“The decision has been taken to temporarily suspend mobile services nationwide,” a ministry spokesman said in a statement.

The spokesperson said that recent attacks in Pakistan had “caused precious losses of life” and that “security measures are critical to maintaining law and order conditions and responding to potential threats.”

AFP journalists in the capital Islamabad were unable to access mobile internet services as voting began at 8:00 am (0300 GMT), while there were also reports of poor access in the southern city of Karachi.

Two bombs exploded outside a candidate’s office in southwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing at least 28 people, with the Islamic State claiming responsibility.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)