Nawaz Sharif strikes confident note in Pakistan vote marred by Khan imprisonment

A woman casts her vote at a polling station during the country’s parliamentary elections in Peshawar, Pakistan (Muhammad Sajjad/AP)

Former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif has expressed confidence his party will win Thursday’s national election, a vote that has been marred by violence, deep political tensions and the imprisonment of a popular contender.

A day before the election, at least 30 people were killed in bombings at political offices, and sporadic attacks on Thursday appeared aimed at disrupting the balloting, including one that killed five police officers in a country beset by surging militancy.