After months of unabated violence, including the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, and fears of rigging, an edgy Pakistan today witnessed by and large peaceful polling — there were no terror attacks and there was heavy security across the country — which may well decide the fate of President Pervez Musharraf.

Counting of votes began shortly after polling ended at 5 pm. Though initial trends have started coming in, the outcome is expected to be clear by Tuesday morning. Some analysts are already saying there may not be a clear winner.

With fears of violence looming large — more than 90 people died in terror attacks in the week leading to the polls — voter turnout took a knocking as the country went to polls after almost eight years of military rule.

An unnamed senior official of the Election Commission was quoted by news agencies as saying that the voter turnout was 35 per cent of the estimated 81 million voters. But Free and Fair Election Network, a coalition of 40 civil society groups, said that 42 per cent was the average turnout across Pakistan.

President Musharraf, who cast his vote along with wife Sehba and mother Zarin at a polling station in Rawalpindi, promised to work with the new government regardless of who won the vote.

“I will say from my side, whichever political party will win, whoever will become prime minister and chief ministers, congratulation to them on my behalf. And I will give them full cooperation as president whatever is my role,” Musharraf told state television.

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