Pakistan poll results: People wait, army chief talks politics, Imran leads, Sharif-Zardari talk pact

As the protracted vote-counting process neared completion on Saturday, no clear winner emerged from the divisive elections in Pakistan, suggesting that the elusive political stability for the cash-strapped nation may still be a distant dream. In the hopes that the majority of the 265 contested seats would be available by Friday morning, the general elections were held on Thursday. The polls closed at 5 p.m., and the counting got underway shortly after. But, the results announcement was delayed longer than usual, which fueled rumors about vote tampering. According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, so far, the counting in 250 seats of the National Assembly has been completed and the independent candidates, a vast majority of them backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, were on the top with 99 seats. The group was followed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with 71 seats, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) with 53, Muttahida Qaumi Movement with 17 and other seats going to smaller parties. To form a government, a party must win 133 seats out of 265 in the National Assembly. Election to one seat was postponed after the death of a candidate. Overall, 169 seats are needed to secure a simple majority out of its total 336 seats, which include the reserved slots for women and minorities. Though elected with the support of Khan’s party, the independents can join any party, which is a potential source of instability, as they can also switch loyalties in future. The PML-N’s chief Nawaz Sharif on Friday evening announced that he was beginning consultations to form a kind of unity government but it may take several days before the shape of a future set-up comes up. He and Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari held a meeting in Lahore last evening. Both the parties were part of the government that took over from after Imran Khan’s ouster from the prime minister’s office in 2022. Zardari already announced during elections that his young son and party chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would be the candidate for the prime minister’s post, whereas Sharif is keen to become the premier for the record fourth time. The PTI leadership is going to begin internal consultations from Saturday to decide which party its supported elected representative should join. They may join a smaller party which would become the largest party to counter Sharif’s claim that PML-N was the largest and had the right to form the government. It is believed that the situation would remain fluid for a few days until the independents decide their future. But one thing is clear: the government would be a hotchpotch of various parties, which would put more strain on the country rather than providing a cohesive force to make difficult decisions in the cash-strapped nation. Last year, the country narrowly averted a default when the International Monetary Fund provided a USD 3 billion short-term loan. Economic experts believe that the new government would need an urgent new IMF programme on more stringent conditions. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has called for a unity government and, reports say, Meanwhile, Chief of Pakistan’s Army Staff Gen Asim Munir congratulated the nation on the successful conduct of the 2024 general elections. In a statement issued by ISPR, Gen Munir also congratulated the caretaker government, Election Commission of Pakistan, political parties and all winning candidates. “Free and unhindered participation by Pakistani people to exercise their right of vote demonstrated their commitment to democracy and the rule of law as enshrined in Constitution of Pakistan,” the statement says. “Leadership and personnel of law-enforcement agencies deserve our highest appreciation for creating a safe and secure environment for the electoral process, despite overwhelming odds. “The constructive role played by national media, civil society, members of civil administration and judiciary enabled the successful conduct of the largest electoral exercise in national history.” (With inputs from agencies)