Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has called for a nationwide protest on Sunday to safeguard the integrity of the vote, as independent candidates lead with 100 seats, according to ARY News. This decision was made after a core committee meeting of the party, which announced plans for “peaceful protests” across the country at 2:00 pm.
Amidst the turmoil in Pakistan over delayed election results, reports indicate Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidates leading or winning. Allegations of ‘rigging’ prompted many to move courts, contesting their defeat. PTI-affiliated Independent candidates also challenged results in PP-164 and NA-118 at the Lahore High Court (LHC), where Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz secured victory.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari acknowledged that his party wouldn’t be able to form a government alone. Regarding meetings with PML-N’s Shehbaz Sharif, he stated confirmation would come once all results were available. The former Foreign Minister clarified that no independent candidate from the PTI bloc had contacted PPP leaders. He noted ongoing communication with some independents but no outreach from PTI independents.
Shehbaz Sharif met PPP leaders Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari at the residence of Punjab’s caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi. Nawaz Sharif tasked Shehbaz Sharif with reaching out to major parties like PPP and MQM-P for potential alliances.
Tariq Fazal Chaudhry of PML-N emerged victorious with 102,502 votes, followed by PTI-backed independent candidate Shoaib Shaheen with 86,396 votes, and independent candidate Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar with 17,916 votes. Khurram Shahzad Nawaz, a joint candidate of PML-N and Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP), won NA-48 (Islamabad-III) with 69,699 votes. PML-N clinched all three National Assembly seats in Islamabad after 16 years.
Pakistan, with a population of 241 million, voted in a general election on Thursday amidst economic challenges and militant violence in a politically polarised environment. PML-N and PPP were the major parties in the ruling coalition post-Imran Khan’s ouster. Despite a heated electoral campaign, no party has secured a majority, necessitating potential coalition-building efforts.