…As 38 killed in suicide bombings amid IS attacks in Syria’s Sweida***

Violence has erupted as millions head to the polls in Pakistan, with at least 31 dead in the worst attack, a bomb in the city of Quetta.

Elsewhere, minor blasts and clashes between party workers left several injured and two dead, the BBC reports.

Voters are deciding between the parties of the former cricket star Imran Khan and the disgraced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

But the campaign has been overshadowed by concerns of fraud and violence.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said there have been “blatant” attempts to manipulate the polls.

Mr. Khan has vowed to tackle entrenched corruption but his rivals accused him of benefitting from alleged meddling by the powerful military, which has ruled Pakistan for nearly half of its history.

Pakistan is no stranger to political turmoil and the last few months have proved no exception. Nawaz Sharif, the man who won the last election, is watching this contest from prison. He has been jailed for corruption after a scandal stemming from the Panama Papers leak.

In the meantime, authorities said 38 people were killed and 37 others wounded in a series of bombings and attacks in the southern province of Sweida on Wednesday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said suicide bombers from the Islamic State (IS) detonated bomb
vests and explosive devices in Sweida city in tandem with an attack by this terror-designated group
on towns in the eastern countryside of Sweida on Wednesday.

Three suicide bombers set off their bomb vests near the grocery market and the roundabouts of Mashnaqa
and Najmeh in Sweida city, the Observatory said, adding that explosive devices were detonated
in the same areas.

In the northeastern countryside of Sweida, where the Syrian warplanes are taking part in striking the IS
fighters, the militants launched attacks on several towns amid confrontation between the Syrian
army and the militants.

Meanwhile, a medical source inside the city confirmed to Xinhua that over 30 people were killed in the
attacks, adding that the wounded are being taken to the national hospital in the city.

Syrian state news agency SANA said a suicide bomber detonated himself while the two others were killed
before setting their explosives off in the city.

It added that another explosion took place in the Maslakh area in the city.

Additional report from The Nation