ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Polling stations across Pakistan closed their doors at 5 p.m. (12:00 p.m. British time) on Monday, as voting ended in an election for a new National Assembly and provincial assemblies.
Pakistan is in the midst of a security scare following awave of suicide attacks by Islamist militants, and electionofficials at a number of polling stations reckoned turnout waslow in a vote that could be crucial to President PervezMusharraf's future.
It is not a presidential election, but if a hostileparliament emerges it could try to drive the former army chieffrom power, possibly by seeking his impeachment for declaringemergency rule last November in order to purge the SupremeCourt and fill it with judges who rubber-stamped his ownre-election late last year.
