Independent candidates affiliated with jailed Pakistani political leader and ex-PM Imran Khan’s party won the maximum National Assembly seats in Pakistan’s general elections.
Independent candidates won 98 seats so far, with 22 still unclaimed, the majority of the winning independent candidates are affiliated with Imran khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), according to Election Commission of Pakistan.
The second most seats that is 69 are won by Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz party (PMLN) which was believed to sweep the polls. After that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has the third-most with 51 seats.
The remaining 22 seats would not be enough for PMLN headed by PM Nawaz Sharif or the PPP to take the lead. It is seen that none of the three major parties will win the required 169 seats to have a majority. This makes the things unclear that who will be picked to be the country’s next PM.
An AI generated version of Imran khan claimed victory in election in a speech released Friday where Imran Khan called his supporters to “now show the strength of protecting your vote”.
Imran Khan is being held behind bars since August and has been using AI to get messages out, “You kept my trust, and your massive turnout has stunned everyone,” Imran khan’s AI said.
Former Prime Minister and Khan’s opponent Nawaz Sharif, claimed that his party had emerged with the largest share of seats. He admitted that his party can’t form the government on there own and he is looking for partners to form coalition.
According to the analysts, Nawaz is considered to be favored by the Pak military although one of the Sharif’s terms was ended in a military coup.
“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.” Said General Syed Asim Munir, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, on Saturday.
“Pakistan’s diverse polity and pluralism will be well-represented by a unified government of all democratic forces imbibed with national purpose,” Munir added.
Khan’s accusation
Imran Khan has accused the military of conspiring in his removal from office in 2022, which brings thousands of his supporters on streets. Both the military and Pakistan’s caretaker government have denied khan’s accusation.
“PTI voters came out in droves to telegraph a message of defiance, that they weren’t going to let the military dictate the outcome of an election that it badly wanted them to lose.” Said Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Centre.
The daughter of jailed former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Meher Bano Qureshi, one of the candidates backed by Khan told that, she had been leading with a significant margin before the results were “frozen” overnight by the election commission and also denied her access to the RO’s office.
After that it was announced that she has lost in Punjab’s constituency of Multan which is a clear indication of tampering.
What’s the global view?
Foreign governments have expressed concerns about manipulations and interference in Pakistan’s elections. The United States on Friday called for an investigation into “claims of interference or fraud”.
“We condemn electoral violence… and are concerned about allegations of interference in the electoral process” spokesman Matthew Miller said.
Even if Khan’s PTI does come on top after the votes are finalized, forming a government and holding on the power in a new position could be challenging.
Court’s ruling ahead of the elections have forced the PTI’s candidates to contest elections independently. “This means that PTI has to worry that some of its sponsored candidates could align with other parties. And the military will likely pressure them to do so,” Kugelman said.
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