Pakistan polls: Imran Khan-backed candidates ahead as final results near

KARACHI, Pakistan / ISLAMABAD (AA) – While final results are yet to be declared, independent candidates, backed by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan are in the lead in Pakistan’s elections, state media reported on Saturday. The polls concluded on Thursday.

The independents supported by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party are ahead of two major parties, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and three-time ex-Premier Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced provisional results of 253 out of 266 direct seats of the lower house, the National Assembly. The independents won 100 seats, followed by the PML-N getting 71, and PPP grabbing 54.

The Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), a regional party based in commercial hub Karachi and Hyderabad, surprisingly won 17 National Assembly seats.

More than 20 seats have been won by several regional and religiopolitical parties.

Meanwhile, internet monitor NetBlocks said social platform X, formerly Twitter, was down across Pakistan. “Live metrics show a nation-scale disruption to X/Twitter across #Pakistan,” it said in a statement. For some users, however, it was working after a brief disruption.

A spokesperson of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said they were not aware of any outage.

– Provincial positions –

In Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province, the PML-N was ahead of others, while the independents led in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, comfortably in a position to form the government.

In the southern Sindh province, the PPP has won a majority, while in southwestern Balochistan, the country’s largest province in terms of land, a coalition government is expected as no party got seats required for a simple majority.

– Rigging allegations, victory speech, national unity government –

While election results indicated no clear winner, PTI’s Khan claimed victory in a speech generated through AI, and called on his supporters to celebrate the win.

Nawaz, meanwhile, claimed his party won the most seats and called for forming a unity government, saying it is the only solution to the simmering political and economic crises faced by the country.

Delayed results and suspension of mobile networks on election day have prompted allegations of fraud and calls for protests. The election commission has been accused of manipulating the results.

“Engineered election and fake results will make a fake government, and the nation will not accept it,” said Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq on X.

– Army chief calls for ‘healing touch’ –

Congratulating the nation on the conduct of the elections, army chief Gen. Asim Munir said the nation needs a “healing touch,” arguing that the diverse country of 240 million people could be “well-represented” by a unity government.

“Pakistan’s diverse polity and pluralism will be well-represented by a unified government of all democratic forces imbibed with national purpose,” Gen. Munir said in a statement released by the military’s media wing.

“Elections and democracy are means to serve people of Pakistan and not ends in themselves. The nation needs stable hands and a healing touch to move on from the politics of anarchy and polarization which does not suit a progressive country of 250 million people,” he added.