More than 24 die in Pakistan's Election Day violence

ISLAMABAD, May 12 (UPI) -- At least 24 people died in Pakistan as more than 60 percent of the country's population turned out to vote, the highest turnout in decades, officials said.

At least 11 people died and four others were injured Saturday in a bombing by the Pakistan Taliban at an Awami National Party office in Karachi, The New York Times reported.

Attacks in Balochistan and Peshawar killed several others Saturday in an election that saw a 16 percent increase in turnout in voters since 2008.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was set to claim a third term in the country's first transition from one elected government to another, the BBC reported Sunday. Sharif won a straight majority, meaning he won't have to cobble together a coalition in the National Assembly and decision-making may be simpler.

Meanwhile, analysts said Sharif may need to focus on tackling militancy in the country. He has distanced himself from the government's fight against militancy as an opposition leader, but he may be under pressure to revise his policy with the looming NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan, the BBC reported.

Foreign donors will expect action against the Taliban in return for financial assistance, the news service said.