Election violence kills 11 in Pakistan: Officials

Girls wait in line to vote for local government elections in Lahore, Pakistan October 31, 2015.

Karachi: An armed clash between supporters of rival political parties left 11 people dead during local government elections in Southern Pakistan on Saturday, officials said.

The violence erupted in Khairpur district, 449 kilometres(seven miles) northwest of the port city of Karachi, the capital of southern Sindh province, general elections update with the two groups exchanging fire.

"The two groups belonging to the Pakistan Peoples Party, which rules Sindh state, along with the Pakistan Muslim League, headed by a famous spiritual leader Pir Sahab Pagara, clashed with each other just a hour before the conclusion of polling time," local police officer Pir Muhammad Shah told AFP.

Khairpur has a history of political anxiety and armed clashes between the PPP and PML(F) during elections.

Shah said military troops are deployed in the area to bring the situation under control.

A senior regional official, Munawar Mitthani also supported the incident and casualties.

The first stage of the election has been held at eight districts of Sindh on Saturday while the second stage is scheduled for November 21 when the remaining 19 districts will probably vote.