Islamabad: Jailed former Pakistani premier Imran Khan urged his supporters on Wednesday to wait outside polling booths after casting their votes, as rival political parties held large rallies to mark the end of the election campaign period.
Pakistan goes to the polls on Thursday with the jailing of popular Khan, the winner of the last national election, dominating headlines despite an economic crisis and other woes threatening the nuclear-armed country.
Any large-scale gathering of Khan's supporters near booths could raise tensions because of what they call a military-backed crackdown on him and his party that has restricted campaigning. The military denies interfering in politics.
"Encourage the maximum number of people to vote, wait at the polling station...and then stay peacefully outside the Returning Officer's office until the final results are announced," said Khan via his handle on social media platform X, accompanied by an undated photograph depicting him wearing simple black clothing.
The origin of the image, the first of Khan in months, was not clear. Previously Khan's supporters have disseminated his messages, including through AI-generated audio speeches, from notes he has passed on through his lawyers during prison visits.