On Friday, Nawaz Sharif, the ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan, declared triumph in the National Elections 2024. He asserted that his political party has secured the top position and intends to explore the possibility of establishing a coalition government. Nevertheless, he refrained from disclosing the exact number of seats his party had attained. The counting process was ongoing for the remaining few out of the 265 seats contested in the elections.

Notably, on Friday, independent candidates backed by the imprisoned former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, caused a stir by securing victory in 86 out of the 201 announced election results. Pakistan seems to be moving towards a situation where no single party has a clear majority in the assembly. The general election was marked by accusations of electoral manipulation, sporadic incidents of violence, and a nationwide mobile phone shutdown.

Mr Sharif had rejected the idea of a coalition a day earlier, saying he wanted a single party running Pakistan.

He claimed victory on Friday, but soon afterward said, “We don’t have enough of a majority to form a government without the support of others and we invite allies to join the coalition so we can make joint efforts to pull Pakistan out of its problems.”

Sharif's announcement came after more than three-quarters of the 265 seats had declared results, more than 24 hours after polling ended on Thursday. 

The results showed independents, most of them backed by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, had won the most seats - 92 of the 225 counted by 1600 GMT. Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won 64 while the Pakistan People's Party of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of assassinated premier Benazir Bhutto, got 50. The rest were won by small parties and other independents.

According to provisional results released by the election commission, PPP’s Raja Parvez Ashraf has won the NA-52 seat from Rawalpindi with a huge lead of 112,265 votes.The results showed independents, most of them backed by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, had won the most seats - 92 of the 225 counted by 1600 GMT. Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won 64 while the Pakistan People's Party of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of assassinated premier Benazir Bhutto, got 50. The rest were won by small parties and other independents.

The results showed that PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat won handily with 117,988 votes for the NA-41 seat in Lakki Marwat. Asjad Mehmood of JUI-F is second in the lead with 68,303 votes.

As per the provisional results, PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat made a landslide victory on the NA-41 seat in Lakki Marwat with 117,988 votes, according to ECP’s provisional results. The second in the lead is JUI-F’s Asjad Mehmood with 68,303 votes.

Saveera Parkash, a 25-year-old doctor who become the first Hindu woman to contest an election from Buner in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province, Friday thanked the people of her constituency for their “unwavering support” even as she lost from the seat.

Parkash was defeated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Buner (PK-25) constituency after managing to get only 1,700 votes. She had contested from the general seat of PK-25 on a ticket from Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Parkash was defeated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Buner (PK-25) constituency after managing to get only 1,700 votes. She had contested from the general seat of PK-25 on a ticket from Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

This election involved competition for 265 out of the 266 seats in the national assembly, emphasizing the critical nature of each victory in the quest to attain a straightforward majority of 133 seats. The electoral process is taking place against the backdrop of a severe economic crisis within a deeply divided political landscape.

The parliamentary elections in Pakistan came to a close on Thursday at 5 pm, amid rising militant attacks and accusations of electoral irregularities. These issues have sparked worries about the credibility of the vote and the potential formation of a coalition government, given the profound political divisions.

Simultaneously, on Thursday, Pakistan implemented a nationwide suspension of mobile phone services, citing the necessity to maintain order in anticipation of potential unrest related to the contentious polls.

The US State Department, in a statement, said that the United States was looking forward to "timely, complete election results" in the Pakistan elections.

"The United States is prepared to work with the next Pakistani government, regardless of political party, to advance our shared interests," the statement said.

Image source: X