Voting underway in Pakistan by-election

Islamabad, Sep 17: Voting was underway on Sunday for the NA-120 by-election seat in Lahore that fell vacant after Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was ousted following the Panama Papers verdict.

Long queues were seen outside the polling stations, DawnNews reported. A total of 44 candidates are in the fray for the National Assembly seat from Lahore.

The Pakistan Army personnel supervised the polling process.

This Lahore constituency elected Nawaz Sharif thrice since 1990. His wife Kulsoom Nawaz is contesting the seat for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

After her husband's incarceration following the military coup by General Pervez Musharraf in 1999, Kulsoom had led the party though she never contested elections.

For the first time in Pakistan, Biometric Voter Verification Machines are being tested. More than 100 of these machines have been installed at 39 polling stations.