In this photo provided by the office of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, Pakistani politician Imran Khan, chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, delivers his address in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, July 26, 2018. (Tehreek-e-Insaf via AP)
Pakistan Election Results 2018 Live Updates: The Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf emerged as the single largest side in the National Assembly with its candidates winning 114 seats amid rival political parties’ claim of “blatant” rigging. However, the former cricketer-turned politician will have to seek out allies to form a coalition government.
After a tediously slow count, Pakistan election officials Friday announced that PTI won 114 of the 269 seats being contested in the National Assembly. While Shahbaz Sharif’s PML-N bagged 63 seats, PPP led by former president Asif Ali Zardari won 39 seats. Results from 20 seats were still being counted.
A party or group can only form the government if it manages to clinch 172 seats in total.
On Thursday, Khan declared his victory and dismissed the allegations of fraud calling it the most transparent election in Pakistan’s history. He stressed on improving ties with India. “If New Delhi moves one step forward, we will move two,” he said. “I decided to join politics 22 years back when I saw a collapse of governance system and corruption in Pakistan,” he said. See photos
Results: PTI-110, PML-N-63, PPP-42, Others-50
Pakistan Election 2018 Live Updates: Election staff gather at a distribution center to receive polling material for elections, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Tuesday. (AP photo)
The Trump administration has said that steps taken by Pakistan were at odds with its stated goal of free and fair transparent elections. Imran Khan led his party (PTI) to victory in the parliamentary elections this week but there was a growing consensus among South Asia experts and Pakistan-observers that it was greatly influenced and meddled by the strong Pakistani Army. US State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said that the development of strong democratic and civilian institutions of governance and a vibrant civil society is critical to Pakistan's long-term stability and prosperity. "In that context, the United States shares concerns about flaws in the pre-voting electoral process, as expressed by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan," she was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
A multi-party meeting has rejected the results in Pakistan elections and demanded a 'transparent' re-election, even as PTI chief Imran Khan inched closer to form a new government with the support of allies and independents. So far Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has bagged 118 of the 270 National Assembly seats on which elections were held and was leading in another two constituencies where counting was still on, reports news agency PTI.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah today said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan's statement about improving ties with India "sounds good" but a lot would depend on his actions. Khan, who is eyeing to form the government in Pakistan, had said that his country was willing to improve its ties with India. "We have to wait for him (Imran Khan) to swear in ... Let us give him some time." "In terms of what he (Khan) said yesterday of taking two steps for one step India takes, it sounds good. But a lot will depend on the action he is willing to take," he said. (PTI)
A European Union team of election observers said today that Pakistan's general elections this week were eclipsed by "restrictions" on freedom of expression and an "unequal" opportunity for candidates to campaign. In its preliminary assessment of the 25 July elections, the EU Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) said the media outlets and journalists suffered from restrictions which resulted in self-censorship. The team, headed by EU Chief Observer Michael Gahler MEP (Germany), said that despite positive changes to the legal framework with the new Elections Act, and a stronger and more transparent Election Commission, the electoral process was negatively affected by the political environment. (PTI)
Locals of Bahawalpur allege that the results given to them are not as per the Form 45 format, say, 'EC has given us results on plain paper, there is no official stamp on the declared result. This is not how it is supposed to happen,' reports ANI.
Pakistan's former ruling party conceded defeat to cricket star-turned-politician Imran Khan ahead of final results from the country's disputed election. "We are going to sit on opposition benches, despite all the reservations," said Hamza Shehbaz Sharif, a parliamentarian and the nephew of Nawaz Sharif, who is in prison after being convicted on corruption charges he disputes.
The PPP has decided not to attend a multi-party conference (MPC) called by the MMA and PML-N on Friday to devise a joint strategy over alleged rigging in the 2018 general elections. PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar told DawnNewsTV neither party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari not co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari will join the MPC being held in Islamabad today.
Pakistan prime minister-in-waiting Imran Khan's party is eyeing to form the government in Punjab, the most populated province of the country, with the help of independents even as its rival, jailed former premier Nawaz Sharif's party, is slightly ahead of it in the number game. With 127 seats won, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which ruled the province of over 100 million population for the last two terms from 2008-2018, has failed to secure a simple majority to form the government in Punjab.
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has retained its considerable edge over its contenders, bagging 114 of the total 270 seats on which elections were held, according to the preliminary results announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The PML-N is a distant second, leading on 63 seats, while the PPP has won 43. The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) ? an alliance of multiple religious parties ? has managed to secure just 11 seats, reports Dawn.
Congratulatory messages started pouring in for former Pakistan cricket captain and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan, who declared victory in the Pakistan elections on Thursday. From Shoaib Akhtar to Shahid Afridi, cricket stars from all over the world dropped congratulatory messages for the newly elected Pakistan PM Imran Khan. Imran Khan has already secured a win in three National Assembly seats, contesting the elections from five constituencies – NA-26 (Bannu), NA-53 (Islamabad 2), NA-95 (Mianwali), NA-131 (Lahore) and NA-243 (Karachi). READ MORE HERE
The first elected Hindu in Pakistan National Assembly is from Tharparkar constituency in Sindh. His name is Dr Mahesh Malani. Two other Hindus were elected to the Sindh Provincial Assembly. Gyanchand Esrani from Sanghar & Hari Ram Kishori Lal from Hyderabad.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan's wife Bushra Maneka has congratulated the whole nation for choosing a leader who is committed to work for welfare of the common man. 'Allah Almighty had given the nation a leader who takes care of the rights of the people,' Bushra was quoted as saying by the TV channels. Bushra is Khan's third wife. She is a leading scholar and spiritual guide in the mystic Sufi branch of Islam. (PTI)
Dawn reported that in unofficial results announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) so far, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan won all five seats where he had contested the elections, whereas the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari lost in their traditional strongholds. The PPP chairperson, who was contesting polls from three constituencies for the first time, lost the contest in Malakand (NA-8) to PTI candidate Junaid Akbar. In a major upset, Mr Bhutto-Zardari also lost to PTI’s Shakoor Shad in Lyari (NA-246) in Karachi.
With only 9 seats left to count, Imran Khan’s PTI has a commanding lead of 115 parliamentarians in the National Assembly. At a press conference, the commission said that the outgoing PML(N) had 62 seats and the PPP, which could prove kingmaker in a coalition government, had won 43. The count indicates PTI will not achieve the 137 seats needed in the National Assembly to form a majority government in its own right, reported Newsweek Pakistan.
The US will "look for opportunities" to work with the new leaders of Pakistan after they form the government and will try to advance security, stability and prosperity in South Asia, a State Department official said. The US is awaiting the full official results from the Election Commission of Pakistan and observer missions to release their preliminary findings, the State Department spokesperson said.
The Pakistan general elections produced threw up some surprising results as a number of political heavyweights suffered defeat in their strongholds. Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari lost in their traditional strongholds. PML-N chief Shahbaz Sharif, who had contested the elections from four constituencies, won only in Lahore. He lost the election in Karachi, Swat and Dera Ghazi Khan.
From hailing Imran Khan's thumping victory to bashing the role of Election Commission, here's a look at how Pakistan media opined on the ascension of the former cricketer-turned politician to power. READ more here
In his first reaction over the general election results, Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has alleged that the polls had been "stolen" and warned that the "tainted and dubious” results would cast a "bad impact" on the country's politics. Talking to visitors in Adiala Jail yesterday, the incarcerated leader of the PML-N, expressed his reservations over the elections results in Faisalabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi, the Dawn reported. He said his party candidates in these areas were in very stable position but they had been declared defeated candidates.
According to Dawn, Imran Khan's PTI has won 110 seats in National Assembly and PML-N and PPP stood at second and third positions with 63 and 42 seats, respectively. The official results of 19 seats have yet to be announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan.
Official results show that PTI leader Imran Khan has won the Pakistan's polls but he will have to seek out allies to form a coalition government.
The overthrow of the PML-N was on the cards because of its clash with the Pakistani establishment. The latter cleverly focused on the media to bring Khan to power. His PTI had lent a hand when the then army chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani (2007-2013), decided to take on the United States over differences in Afghanistan. Khan’s party helped in blocking the convoys taking crucial supplies to the US-led coalition in Afghanistan as Khan pronounced the Afghan war the “wrong war” for Pakistan. He became a favourite of the Taliban — later chosen by them as their representative in peace talks with the PML-N government — who then helped by killing his electoral rivals in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, writes Khaled Ahmed. READ here
With Khan's politics offering something for everyone, his following is a mix of the cosmopolitan middle-class in urban Pakistan, who fear the progress of religious conservatism, and the religious conservatives who believe Pakistan is getting too westernised, writes Nirupama Subramanian. READ here
The United States will "look for opportunities" to work with the new leaders of Pakistan after they form the government, and will try to advance security, stability and prosperity in South Asia, news agency PTI reports. The US is awaiting the full official results to declared by the Election Commission of Pakistan and observer missions to release their preliminary findings, a State Department spokesperson said.
Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan has claimed victory in the general election after his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf emerged as the single-largest party in the National Assembly, amid allegation of rigging of the poll in his favour. Khan's party had won 105 of the 272 directly-elected seats, according to the latest official results.
"As Pakistan's elected leaders form a new government, the United States will look for opportunities to work with them to advance our goals of security, stability, and prosperity in South Asia," the State Department spokesperson told PTI.
According to Dawn, Imran Khan's PTI was leading on 108 of 228 seats as final results trickle in. Nawaz Sharif's party was leading with 58 seats. PPP was at third spot with 28 seats. Meanwhile, Prime-Minister designate Imran Khan's wife Bushra Imran also felicitated the nation on PTI's victory. She specially congratulated oppressed women, widows and orphans, telling them that their newly elected leader will protect them, reports Dawn.
According to the unofficial results shared by the ECP on it's website, Pakistan Peoples Party chairman, who has made debut in parliamentary politics, has secured a victory in Larkana-I (NA-200) but lost to PTI's Abdul Shakoor Shad in Karachi South-I (NA-246) by 13,245 votes in Lyari and to PTI's Junaid Akbar by over 35,000 votes in Malakand (NA-8), reports Dawn.
In Punjab, PTI has taken lead after claiming victory on 97 seats while PML-N is close behind with 96 seats, as per preliminary results from 252 constituencies available with ECP. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PTI is clearly steering ahead with a clear victory on 59 seats against Muttahida Majlis–e–Amal (MMA), which is currently winning on 8 seats, as per unofficial results from 86 constituencies in the province. The preliminary results from 70 constituencies in Sindh show PPP-P leading on 44 seats, followed by PTI on 11 seats, reports Dawn.
Union Minister RK Singh on Thursday said that the general elections in Pakistan were "rigged" and that Islamabad is unlikely to change its policy of hostility towards India if Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan becomes Prime Minister. The former Home Secretary said that Khan was supported by the Pakistani Army and therefore, was likely to follow the policies of the military including in matters related to India, reports PTI.
Several cricket stars, from Pakistan as well as the rest of the World, are happy to see Imran Khan becoming his nation’s political leader again. From Shoaib Akhtar to Shahid Afridi cricket stars from all over the world dropped congratulatory messages for the newly elected Pakistan PM Imran Khan.
Here are some of the best reactions
“If they take one step towards us, we will take two, but at least need a start,” he said. Khan, whose party is presently leading in 120 seats, asserted that the mudslinging between the two neighbours was detrimental to the sub-continent and should stop. “Kashmiris are suffering for long. We have to solve Kashmir issue by sitting across the table. If India’s leadership is willing then the both of us can solve this issue through dialogue. It will be good for the subcontinent also,” Khan said.
Read more here
At the time when Khan launched PTI, he had already retired from cricket. However, that hardly stopped him from being a favourite of the media and gossip networks. However, his post-cricket public life was also marked by a renewed personality, one that embraced a Pashtun identity and Islamic piety, both of which would go on to shape his political ideology in significant ways. Read more
While Imran Khan, who is contesting from five constituencies, has already secured a win in three National Assembly seats, PML-N stalwarts Shahid Abbasi and Shehbaz Sharif have suffered shocking defeats in the Pakistan elections. Sharif, however, is leading in Lahore seat. Read more here
Election Commission of Pakistan said that free and fair elections were conducted in the country. It said that that turnout was impressive, and will share the numbers tomorrow. "Final results will come out within 24 hours. There is no delay. 90% of results have been announced by Returning Officers in the field. we have received 82% out of it," it added. (ANI)
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan said that they are ready to improve ties with India 'if New Delhi moves one step forward, we will move two', he said in a press conference in Islamabad. "I decided to join politics 22 years back when I saw collapse of governance system and corruption in Pakistan," he said.
Commending the people of Balochistan, Imran Khan said, "The type of terrorism and tragedy they have suffered from, and they still came out to vote, I want to commend them on behalf of the entire country."
"I want to share the kind of Pakistan I envision ? the type of state that was established in Madina," he explained. "Today our state is in shambles. All our policies aim to help the less fortunate prosper," Imran said.
"I pledge to safeguard the nation's taxes. We will decrease all of our expenses," he added.
Before the official announcement of results of the Pakistan elections, PTI chief Imran Khan in a press conference said, 'I thank god, after 22 years of struggle, my prayers have been answered. I have got the chance to fulfill my dream and serve the nation.'
"We are witnessing the strengthening of democracy in Pakistan. The election process was completed successfully despite many terror attacks. I thank our security forces," Khan added.
Former National Assembly speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza has become the first woman in the country to have been elected for a fifth consecutive time from the same general seat. Unofficial results show the GDA leader won NA-230 seat by a narrow margin, bagging 96,875 votes against her rival from PPP, Haji Rasool Bux Chandio, who secured 96,015 votes. Meanwhile, former cricketer Wasim Akram has reached Bani Gala to lend support to PTI chief Imran Khan. Akram had on more than one occasion openly pledged his support to his former cricketing colleague.
An FIR has been registered against PML-N candidate Imtiaz Ahmed and 150 other workers in Rahimyar Khan for attacking a returning officer’s office. Samaa TV reported that the workers were holding a protest against alleged irregularities in the voting process and they ended up destroying property. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, which is ahead in 119 seats, indicated that Asad Umar, who won the National Assembly seat from NA-54, could be the next finance minister of the country.
Despite the hullabaloo surrounding the rise in extremist outfits participating in this year’s Pakistan elections, trends so far show they have miserably failed to woo the voters and not one of them are anywhere close to winning a seat. Mumbai attack mastermind Hafeez Saeed’s son Talha, who contested from NA-91, is trailing and so is his son-in-law Khalid Wahid, who contested from PP-167 constituency. Read the full story here.
Meanwhile, police officers have replaced Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan's private security guards outside his residence at Bani Gala even though the former cricketer has not officially been declared prime minister, Dawn reported. Addressing a press conference, PTI spokesman Naeemul Haq described the party as "Pakistan's greatest political power" and said it would not only form the federal government, but also the Punjab government.
Top Pakistani politicians like former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif and chief of the right-wing Jamat-i-Islami Sirajul Haq suffered shocking defeat in the general elections. Abbasi, who contested from NA-57 parliamentary seat in Rawalpindi and NA-53 Islamabad, lost from both the seats, unofficial reports said. The NA-57 is considered as one of the safest seat for the PML-N, from where Abbasi's father had won for the first time in 1985. Abbasi had won this seat in 1990, 1993, 1997, 2008 and 2013 general elections. He had lost only once in 2002. Apart from him, PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif, who had contested from three parliamentary seats -- one each in Karachi, Swat and Lahore, lost to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidates in Karachi and NA-3 seat in Swat. But he is leading in the Lahore seat.
Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) continued with its impressive performance as Geo TV reported that its candidates won from NA-38, NA-115 and NA-108. PTI's Ali Amin Gandapur won the NA-38 (DI Khan 1) seat with 80,236 votes. The party's candidate from Jhang constituency Ghulam Bibi Bharwana won with 91,434 votes. PTI’s Farrukh Habib defeated his nearest rival, PML-N's Abid Sher Ali, in NA-108 (FSB 8) and secured with 112,740 votes. However, in NA-129, which falls under the important Lahore district, PML-N’s Ayaz Sadiq won with 103,021 votes.
PTI’s Sadaqat Ali Abbasi defeats PML-N’s Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the former prime minister of Pakistan, in NA-57 Murree, unofficial results from all polling stations. (Info courtesy- Geo News)
PML-N's Khawaja Saad Rafique wins PP-168 Lahore 25 with 34,112 votes
PS-26 Khairpur 1 PPP’s Qaim Ali Shah wins with 48,546 votes: unofficial results from all polling stations.
The results haven't been declared yet, but the picture emerging from Pakistan shows Imran Khan's PTI in the driver's seat. His former wife Jemima Goldsmith, a British citizen, has tweeted her congratulations. Read More
Besides Imran Khan, who has emerged as the favourite to become the next Prime Minister of Pakistan, a look at some other prominent sportspersons who went on to hold important political offices in their respective countries. Click to read
In one of its news report on PTI Chief Imran Khan on the Pakistan elections, BBC inadvertently carried a clip of former Pakistan pacer and cricket team captain Wasim Akram instead of Khan, who also had played for Pakistan and won the World Cup in 1996. The gaffe was slammed by many, particularly Pakistanis, for the channel’s “ignorance”. By the time the channel realised their mistake and deleted the tweet, screenshots of the new segment flooded Twitter. Click here to see
PML-N’s Mehnaz Aziz wins NA-77 Narowal 1 with 111,216 votes: unofficial results from all polling stations
PPP’s Raja Pervaiz Ashraf wins NA-58 Rawalpindi 2 with 125,090 votes: unofficial results from all polling stations
PTI's Saleem Rehman wins NA-3 Swat 2 with 68,162 votes. Shehbaz Sharif runner up with 22,756 votes: unofficial results from all polling stations.
PTI's Salim Rehman wins NA-3 Swat 2 with 68,162 votes: unofficial results from all polling stations. Shehbaz Sharif runner up with 22,756 votes: unofficial results from all polling stations.
PTI’s Mohammad Khan Leghari wins from NA-192 DG Khan 4 with 80,522 votes. PML-N’s Shehbaz Sharif runner up with with 67,608 votes: unofficial results from all polling stations.
PTI’s Imran Khan wins NA-95 Mianwali 1 with 162,499 votes: unofficial results from all polling stations.
Pakistan watchers in the US today doubted the fairness of the general election for which Imran Khan's party received the army's backing while the PML-N and the PPP ran their campaigns "under constraints". The Trump administration said it was closely monitoring the situation in Pakistan but refused to declare the polls "free and fair". The State Department too refused to confirm that. Its mission in Pakistan did not deploy election observers primarily because of security concerns.
PTI’s Zulfiqar Ali Khosa wins NA-190 DG Khan 2 with 62,936 votes: unofficial results from all polling stations
PTI’s Zartaj Gul wins NA-191 DG Khan 3 with 79,817 votes. PML-N’s Awais Leghari runner up with 54,548 votes: unofficial results from all polling stations