Pakistan Elections 2024: Early results show Nawaz Sharif has the edge, Imran Khan's PTI in second place

As the counting of votes picks up in Pakistan after more than 12 hours of delay, anxiety and excitement continue to mount among people of the economic crisis-hit country. With the ballot boxes opening, the early poll results on Friday show former prime minister Nawaz Sharif-led party PML-N slightly ahead of Imran Khan’s PTI. Till 11:00 am (local time), the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced 47 results for the 265 contested seats in the National Assembly. Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was victorious on 17 and supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan won 14 seats. As many as 12 seats were won by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of assassinated premier Benazir Bhutto, ECP said. The rest were won by small parties or non-aligned independents. Results on some of the seats were announced more than 18 hours after the voting ended, which has been unusual for elections in Pakistan. ECP special secretary Zafar Iqbal cited the “internet issue” as the main reason for the delay in poll results. The Pakistan government had suspended mobile and internet services ahead of the voting on Thursday as a security measure. They were being partially restored. Key Battle in Pakistan The main battle in Pakistan was expected to be between candidates backed by Imran Khan, whose PTI won the last national election, and Nawaz Sharif-led PML-N. Imran Khan believes the powerful military is behind a crackdown to hound his party out of existence, while analysts and opponents say Nawaz Sharif is being backed by the generals. The military has dominated the nuclear-armed country either directly or indirectly in its 76 years of independence but for several years it has maintained it does not interfere in politics. With inputs from agencies