News Analysis India

Tag: Pakistan Election Results 2024

  • Pakistan Elections 2024: With No Clear Winner In Sight, Political Parties Begin ‘Wheeling And Dealing’ world news

    Islamabad: The recent elections in Pakistan have left the political landscape in uncertainty, with no clear winner emerging as the counting of votes nears completion. Despite the lack of a decisive outcome, major political parties have already begun negotiations and discussions in an attempt to secure enough support to form governments at both the national and provincial levels.

    PML-N Takes Initiative

    Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has assigned his brother, former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, to initiate talks with key parties like the PPP and MQM-P to explore possibilities of forming alliances.

    Previous Coalition Dynamics

    Interestingly, the PML-N and PPP were previously part of the ruling coalition government following Imran Khan’s removal in April 2022. However, tensions between the two parties escalated during the election campaign, complicating the path to coalition-building.

    Independent Candidates In The Lead

    Preliminary results suggest that independent candidates, largely supported by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), are leading on a significant number of seats. This has added complexity to the political equation, requiring parties to negotiate and strategize effectively.

    Coalition Building Efforts

    Shehbaz Sharif has reportedly met with PPP leaders – Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto – at the residence of Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi to discuss the election results and potential post-election scenarios, indicating a willingness to explore coalition possibilities.

    MQM-P’s Exploring All Options

    The MQM-P, initially inclined to support Nawaz Sharif, is reassessing its options in light of the electoral outcomes. The party’s convener, Siddiqui has extended invitations to independent candidates to join forces, signaling a shift in strategy.

    Delay In Declaring Election Results

    While political manoeuvring unfolds, concerns have been raised regarding the fairness of the electoral process. Criticisms from international actors, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, highlight issues such as violence, alleged lack of fairness, and disruptions like internet outages during the voting process.

    Imran Khan’s Victory Speech

    Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, despite facing criticism over the handling of the elections, has released a statement claiming victory, citing a high voter turnout as evidence of the failure of his opponents’ strategies. In his AI-enabled voice, Khan said that the ‘London Plan’ of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif failed with the massive turnout of voters on polling day.

    In a related development, Imran Khan was granted bail in 12 cases related to the May 9 riots by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi, according to The Express Tribune. Additionally, Khan’s close aide and the former foreign minister of Pakistan, Shah Mahmud Qureshi was also granted bail in 13 cases, the daily reported.

    Imran was also granted bail in the GHQ and Army Museum attacks, with the court requiring a PKR0.1 million surety bond in all 12 cases. The bail applications were considered by ATC Judge Malik Ejaz Asif. The court ruled that there was no rationale for keeping the PTI founder in custody, and all suspects in the May 9 cases were granted bail.

    With no clear winner emerging from the elections, Pakistan finds itself in a phase of political uncertainty and negotiation, as parties strive to form viable coalitions amid concerns about the electoral process’s integrity.

  • Delayed Election Results Reminds Pakistan Of EVMs’ Efficiency | world news

    ISLAMABAD: Pakistan President Arif Alvi expressed his frustration on Saturday over the postponed election results and stated that if the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) had been in use during the general elections on February 8, the nation would not be facing this current crisis, Geo News reported. Despite the commission’s lofty claims, the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) new Election Management System (EMS) failed, he said.

    Notably, the election regulator has yet to release the preliminary results for every constituency, nearly seventy-two hours after the polls closed. In a post on social media platform President Alvi recalled the fight for the EVMs waged by the previous PTI-led government, saying that the entire endeavor–which involved more than 50 meetings at the presidency alone–was abandoned.

    “Remember ‘our’ long struggle for EVMs. EVM had paper ballots that could be counted separately by hand (like it is being done today) but it also had a simple electronic calculator/counter of each vote button pressed,” he said. The president, according to Geo News, said that the totals of every candidate would have been available and printed within five minutes of the closing of the poll if the machines were used.

    On February 10, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) staged a protest over alleged rigging and alteration of results in Sindh’s PS-22 constituency. “Our [JUI-F’s] the candidate was made to lose via [deliberate] change of results,” JUI-F leader Rashid Mehmood Soomro said. “We have won by [margin of] 7,000 votes as per the Form 45s in our possession,” he said while calling for fresh elections in multiple constituencies, according to Geo News.

    Amid the delay in the publication of Pakistan’s election results, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has given a call for a nationwide protest on Sunday to protect the sanctity of the vote as independent candidates are in the lead with 100 seats. According to the report, the decision comes after the party’s core committee meeting was held and it was announced to hold ‘peaceful protests’ across the country to protect the sanctity of the vote. The meeting also deliberated on election results and the future course of action.

    The core committee also discussed matters related to affiliation with specific political parties. Important decisions were made during the meeting, which the party said would be implemented after consultation with PTI founder Imran Khan.

  • Amid Announcement Of Pakistan Election Results, Imran Khan Gets Bail In May 9-Linked Violence Cases | world news

    Islamabad: Former Pakistan Prime Minister, Imran Khan was granted bail in 12 cases related to May 9 riots by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi, according to The Express Tribune. Additionally, Khan’s close aide and the former foreign minister of Pakistan, Shah Mahmud Qureshi was granted bail in 13 cases, the daily reported.

    Imran was also granted bail in the GHQ and Army Museum attacks, with the court requiring a PKR0.1 million surety bond in all 12 cases. The bail applications were considered by ATC Judge Malik Ejaz Asif. The court ruled that there was no rationale for keeping the PTI founder in custody, and all suspects in the May 9 cases were granted bail.

    Imran and Qureshi were indicted as per charges on February 6. The duo was brought before the court, and the former prime minister informed the judge that he had been unjustly arrested on May 9 from the grounds of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), according to The Express Tribune.

    Imran was booked in many cases relating to the rioting that erupted throughout the country on May 9, following his detention in a corruption case. The complaints filed in Rawalpindi included an attack on the gate of General Headquarters (GHQ), rioting at a sensitive institution’s office, and other incidents.

    He rejected the claims included in the cases’ first information reports (FIRs). It should be mentioned that, following his release from Adiala jail, PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi was hauled away by Punjab police in connection with the attack on the GHQ, according to The Express Tribune.

    In July last year, a high-level joint investigative team (JIT) looking into the May 9 violence decided to designate the former premier in two terrorist cases, including an attack on GHQ.

    With the inclusion of new sections to the proceedings, the PTI head was charged with planning and inciting violence. The bail has been granted to Imran Khan at a time when the results of the Pakistan General Elections that took place on February 8 are highly anticipated.

    The counting for the elections held on Thursday is underway, and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has emerged as the single-largest party but is trailing behind the independent candidates, mostly backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI). .

    Meanwhile, amid the Election Commission of Pakistan drawing flak over the delay in declaration of the results of the general elections, former PM and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Saturday released a ‘victory speech’ in his AI- enabled voice, saying that the ‘London Plan’ of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif failed with the massive turnout of voters on polling day, as he also claimed victory in the general elections.

    Furthermore, Nawaz Sharif also announced his intention to form a united government with the help of his former allies – Pakistan Peoples Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (Pakistan) amid a fractured mandate.

    Nawaz and his brother Shehbaz Sharif’s party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have agreed to form a coalition government in the Center and Punjab, Geo TV reported on Saturday.

    Elections were held for 265 seats in the national assembly and a political party needs 133 seats for a simple majority. Voting in Pakistan concluded at 5 pm on Thursday amid escalating militant attacks and allegations of electoral misconduct.

    After the parliamentary polls, the newly elected parliament will select a prime minister. If no single party secures a majority, the party with the largest portion of assembly seats can form a coalition government.

    Meanwhile, a senior aide of Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan said if complete poll results are not announced by tonight, we will hold peaceful protests tomorrow, Reuters reported.

  • Can Imran Khan Become Prime Minister Of Pakistan As PTI-Backed Candidates Lead? , world news

    ISLAMABAD: While the general elections in Pakistan threw up a fractured mandate, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed Independents were shown to be in the lead, leaving many to wonder if the country, which has been battling myriad challenges in the recent past, primarily on the economic front, was poised to get its first-ever Independent PM, Dawn News reported.

    Despite allegations of rigging and electoral malfeasance by the PTI, Independents backed by the party founded by former Prime Minister Imran Khan were leading the vote count in maximum seats. Despite the trends showing otherwise, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif gave a premature victory speech, indicating his willingness to form a coalition government.

    However, if the trends, as reported by a section of Pakistani media and social media circles, hold, Pakistan could well be on its way to electing a government of Independents. According to the Dawn report, despite polling most votes as the trends largely show, the PTI is still at a significant disadvantage, courtesy the ECP’s decision to relieve it of its iconic ‘bat’ symbol as well as the barrage of cases against its top- tier leadership who remain behind bars. This means that even if the candidates it is backing clinch the highest number of seats, the party may not be able to form a government as it won’t be allotted a quota of minority seats.

    However, the PTI has the option of announcing an Independent prime ministerial candidate to take the country’s reins, according to the report. According to journalist Wusatullah Khan, “There have been many more than this–during General Ziaul Haq’s time, the entire Parliament was made up of independents”, Dawn reported.

    Recalling the non-party-based elections in the country in 1985, he said no party was allowed to participate in the elections and everybody ran for office in their individual capacity. “Obviously everyone had someone’s support but on paper, they were all independent,” he said.

    The returned candidates went on the floor of Parliament and gave their group or party the name of Pakistan Muslim League. “Today, we call it PML-N or PML-Q, before that it was called Chattha league. They were all born on the floor of the non-party assembly of 1985,” he recalled.

    According to another journalist Shahzeb Jilani, once the returned candidates are notified, they then have three days to decide if they want to independently support a political party or join a party as a group. Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Shairf and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari held a meeting in Lahore, Dawn News reported quoting sources.

    The meeting came shortly after Nawaz claimed victory in general elections held a day earlier and invited his allies to form a coalition government. The PPP and PML-N were both part of the PDM government that took over from PTI after Imran Khan’s ouster from the prime minister’s office in 2022.

    Meanwhile, according to the unofficial provisional results reported by Dawn News for 212 out of 266 seats, the independent candidates, mostly backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) are leading with 82 seats. On the other hand, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) which has emerged as the single largest party, is trailing with 64 seats, followed by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) at 40 seats.

  • Imran Khan’s PTI-Backed Candidates Spring Surprise; Nawaz Sharif Loses From Mansehra | world news

    The counting of votes is underway in Pakistan for the country’s national and provincial elections. The polls did not bring good news for Nawaz Sharif who is said to have the backing of the Pakistani army. While Sharif was expecting a win, in an unexpected turn of events, independent candidates receiving support from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) appeared to be gaining momentum in the initial results released late on Thursday, creating ripples throughout the political landscape. This surprising development unfolded despite the continued imprisonment of the party’s founder, Imran Khan, and amid concerns about an uneven playing field.

    The situation is such that Nawaz Sharif, who contested two seats – Lahore and Mansehra – faced defeat from one of them. Sharif won the Lahore seat but lost to PTI-backed independent candidate Yasmin Rashid from the Mansehra seat.


    Despite assurances from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) regarding the timely disclosure of election results, not a single constituency’s result was announced by 2 o’clock, causing frustration and heightened uncertainty in an already tense political environment. The results were to be declared by 2 am but the same has not been achieved even by 1 pm today. Since the counting was halted, PTI alleged rigging of votes in favor of PML-N.

    However, in the early hours of Friday, as a limited number of results started to emerge, supporters of all PTI-backed independent candidates gathered at the party’s central secretariat, initiating celebrations labeled as victory. PTI Chairman Gauhar Khan asserted that their candidates were leading on 150 National Assembly seats. Sharif’s PML-N and Bilawal Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party were leading on 47 seats each.

    These projections came as a shock for the party of three-time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. However, similar to the ECP, the PML-N also maintained a reserved stance without making any public statements. Voters will elect 266 candidates to the Pakistan National Assembly, who will later, by a majority vote, elect the next prime minister.