Photo Gallery Pakistan Votes
Pakistanis went to the polls on Monday in a crucial parliamentary election.
Although millions of Pakistanis defied bombings and shootings to cast their ballots, turn out was low.
There was a massive security force with over 470,000 police and troops on the streets. There were few reports of violence. Some bombs were thrown at polling stations in the northwest and the Swat Valley before the election started.
Polling stations closed at 5 p.m. local time and Pakistan's electoral staff has begun to count ballots across the country.
The streets of Karachi were almost deserted on polling day, which had been declared a public holiday to encourage people to vote.
Women in a village outside Peshawar vote. There were reports of women not showing up at all in some polling stations in the northwestern tribal region.
Election workers seal the envelope containing ballots. Opposition parties have accused the government of attempting to rig the election.
The legislature elected in 2002 has not acted as a check on President Pervez Musharraf, but that looks set to change, with the possibility that the new parliament could be set on driving him out of office.
Musharraf, voting on Monday, called for reconciliation. The ruling party which backs him had been trailing third in the opinion polls.
The elections had originally been scheduled for Jan. 8 but were postponed after the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. Her widower is now co-chairman of the Pakistan People's Party and on Monday he said that the party would win and that it would "change the system."
However, the PPP is unlikely to win an overall majority and may have to chose between an alliance with the pro-Musharraf party or with former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Sharif supporters in Rawalpindi on Monday. The former prime minister is intent on bringing down President Musharraf -- by impeachment if necessary.
