A blast outside a poll candidate's office in southern Pakistan has left at least 12 people dead and injured 25 others.
Officials said, on the eve of an election marked by violence and claims of vote-rigging.
The attack occurred outside the office of an independent candidate in the Pishin district, some 50 kilometers from Quetta and 100 kilometers from the Afghan border.
"Twelve people were killed, while 25 others were injured," a police spokesman in Quetta told AFP.
"The initial probe suggests that it was an IED (improvised explosive device) explosion, and the IED was placed on a motorcycle."
"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 on Wednesday, with voting papers distributed to over 90,000 polling sites.
Suspicions of pre-poll manipulation have clouded the election following a crackdown on the party of incarcerated former prime leader Imran Khan, who won the 2018 election but was ousted from power four years later by a national assembly vote of no-confidence.
There have also been other security problems in the lead-up to Thursday's election, with at least two candidates killed and scores more targeted in attacks across the country.
Campaigning formally ended on Tuesday night, and voting will begin at 8:00 a.m. local time (0300 GMT) on Thursday and close at 5:00 p.m.
Nearly 18,000 candidates are running for seats in the national and four provincial assemblies, with 266 seats directly contested in the former (plus an additional 70 earmarked for women and minorities) and 749 seats in regional parliaments.
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