QUETTA - At least 12 people were killed and 25 wounded by a blast outside a poll candidate's office in southwestern Pakistan, officials said, on the eve of an election marred by violence and allegations of poll-rigging.
The attack occurred near the office of an independent candidate in Pishin district, around 50 kilometres from the city of Quetta and around 100 kilometres from the border with Afghanistan.
"Twelve people were killed while 25 others were injured," a police official in Quetta who asked not to be named told AFP.
"The initial probe suggests that it was an IED (improvised explosive device) explosion, and the IED was placed on a motorcycle."
Jan Achakzai, the caretaker information minister for the province, confirmed the death toll.
"It was an apparent IED blast that resulted in the death of 12 people and left more than 25 injured," he said.
More than half a million security officers began deploying Wednesday, with authorities distributing ballot papers to more than 90,000 polling stations.
The election has been marred by allegations of pre-poll rigging following a crackdown on the party of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, winner of the 2018 poll, but booted out of power by a national assembly vote of no-confidence four years later.