The chairman of the Pakistan People's Party - denied a postal ballot - will not vote in Saturday's elections because of threats to his life, a senior party official said. PPP leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in 2007, just before the last elections, leaving her son Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari as party chairman, although he is too young to run for parliament until turning 25 in September.
Asked if Bilawal would cast his vote in person on Saturday, senior PPP leader Taj Haider told AFP: "We cannot take this risk because of the bad security situation. Already the son of a former Prime Minister has been kidnapped." He praised the election commission for allowing Bilawal's father, President Asif Ali Zardari, a postal ballot, but at the same time expressed sorrow that the same privilege had been denied to Bilawal. "We cannot take the risk that he physically casts his vote," Haider repeated. Spokesman Farhatullah Babar also confirmed that Bilawal had been denied permission for a postal ballot but did not give an explanation. The precise whereabouts of Bilawal is unclear.