Independents give tough time to PML-N as results pour in

Published: 06:59 PM, 9 Feb, 2024
Election 2024
Independents give tough time to PML-N as results pour in

Candidates linked to incarcerated PTI founder chairman Imran Khan were giving a tough time to PML-N of three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday as election results trickled in after a long delay that added to accusations of poll rigging, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.


PTI was barred from contesting Thursday's general elections as a bloc, but official results showed independent candidates linked to his party winning 42 seats so far – eight more than the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).


Unofficial tallies on local TV stations had independents in the lead for many of the remaining seats up for grabs in the 266-member assembly.


By 14:30 pm -- nearly 23 hours after polling stations closed -- the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had announced just over 100 National Assembly seat results.


The PML, however, was sure that it will come triumphant as it lays claim to form governments both at Centre and in Punjab.


Polling for general elections in Pakistan concluded at 5pm yesterday amid allegations of rigging and the shutdown of cellular and internet services, The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) released the initial outcomes of the 2024 elections after over 10 hours following the close of voting.


The announcement came amidst accusations of electoral manipulation, isolated incidents of violence, and a nationwide mobile phone blackout.


An "internet issue" was the reason behind the delay in results, Zafar Iqbal, special secretary at the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), said without elaborating.


The interior ministry has said that the media and the public’s concerns about the late processing of the results have been reviewed. It attributed the delay to a “lack of communication, which was a result of preventive measures taken to ensure foolproof security”.


In a post on X, it said that the delay was assessed, stating that the situation was now “satisfactory”. It expressed the hope that the arrival of results would continue without interruptions.


https://twitter.com/MOIofficialGoP/status/1755786406159433765


Independent candidates linked to jailed former prime minister Imran Khan were outperforming expectations Friday in early tallies from general elections, after a long delay in results added to accusations of poll rigging.


By 9:00 am (0400 GMT) Friday -- more than 16 hours after polling stations closed -- the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had announced just 13 National Assembly results.


Five had gone to independent candidates linked to PTI, four to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and four to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).


‘Strong’ PML-N says will form govt in Centre, Punjab


PML-N’s Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that the party will form the government in the Centre and Punjab. In a post on X, she said that the results were still being received by the party’s election cell. “Due to the unavailability of mobile and internet services, it became difficult to get the results,” she said, adding that the party’s position was “strong”.


PTI-back candidate Ali Amin Gandapur wins with 92612 votes while JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman gets 59364 votes from NA-44 in Dera Ismail Khan.



Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder chairman Imran Khan also claimed victory, saying the people demonstrated their resolve to elect his party by turning out in large numbers to vote.


PTI was barred from contesting Thursday's election as a bloc, but unofficial tallies by local TV channels showed independent candidates -- including dozens anointed by his party -- leading in several constituencies.


The PTI has also alleged that the mandate of people of Pakistan is being stolen. The party also raised concerns on the delay of the results.


The first official result -- the seat going to a PTI candidate -- was announced shortly after 4:30 am (2330 GMT) more than 11 hours after polling ended.


The TV stations were basing their projections on counting done at the local constituency level.


The results announced so far reflected that the PML-N is leading in Punjab, PPP in Sindh with MQM dominating in Karachi, independent candidates were top winners in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, mixed outcome in Balochistan.


PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, Asad Qaiser, Mahmood Khan Achakzai Sharjeel Memon, Murad Ali Shah were among the winners, according to the results announced so far.


Istehkam-e-Pakistan chief Jahangir Tareen lost election from both National Assembl seats. ANP’s Aimal Wali Khan was also ousted from election. Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq was defeated from Upper Dir NA seat.


Sharif family membes win NA seats comfortably from Lahore


 All members of the Sharif family won National Assembly seats from Lahore defeating their opponents with a comfortable margin on Friday, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.


PML-N Quaid and former three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif has won the election from a National Assembly seat in Lahore defeating PTI-backed candidate Dr Yasmin Rashid by a huge margin of votes, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.


Nawab Sharif grabbed 171,024 votes from Lahore’s NA-130 while Yasmin Rashid obtained 115,043 votes. The PML-N supremo defeated her by a margin of 55,981 votes.


PML-N President Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif won the election by securing 64,953 votes in Lahore’s NA-123 while his rival Afzal Azeem Pahat came second with 48,486 votes.


PML-N Senior Vice-President and Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz Sharif also won his NA-119 seat by securing 83,855 votes while independent candidate Shahzad Farooq managed only 68,376 votes.


PML-N leader Muhammad Hamza Shehbaz Sharif also won the election from NA-118 by securing 105,960 votes. PTI-backed Independent candidate Aliya Hamza came second with 100,803 votes.


Defeat in Mansehra


PTI-backed independent candidate Shahzada Muhammad Gustasab Khan defeated Nawaz Sharif with a healthy margin in NA-15 Mansehra. Shahzada Gustasab secured 105,249 votes as compared to Nawaz Sharif’s 80382.
Several political bigwigs including PML-N’s Amir Muqam Khawaja Saad Rafique, Rana Sanaullah, Bilawal Bhutto, Jahangir Tareen, Maulana Fazl, Sirajul Haq have lost elections against their rivals.


Bilawal says results encouraging, slams delay in results


PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who won his Larkana seat but lost in Lahore, expressed concern over the ECP’s slow pace in announcing the results which he dubbed “unbelievable”.


He however said that the early PPP results are encouraging.



MQM-P claims victory in Karachi, Hyderabad


The MQM-P has also claimed victory in election with Mustafa Kamal said people of Karachi and Hyderabad have expressed confidence in them. He said they were also getting support in Mirpurkhas.


Independents spring surprise


"Independents spring surprise, PTI-backed candidates defy odds," said the morning headlines of several newspapers on Friday.


"There was a sense of certainty about the outcome," Sarah Khan, an assistant professor of political science at Yale University, told AFP. "That sense of certainty got upset very early on," she added. "It's definitely not the foregone conclusion that anybody thought it might be."


Before the first results were officially announced, PTI chief organiser Omar Ayub Khan said he was confident the party had done enough. "Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backed independent candidates have the ability to form the next federal government with a two-thirds majority," he said in a video statement released to media.


The election commission had earlier blamed "internet problems" for a delay in results, but said they would now "be flowing in continuously".


"Why did they take so long? Why not announce results before 1 am?" asked Ambreen Naz, 35, a businesswoman in Lahore. "You know what will happen now? The stock market will open with volatile swings. The dollar will rise and the rupee will fall. All because they delayed the results and made them controversial," she told AFP.


- Rigging fears -


Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, told AFP the delay "suggests that the powers that be are trying to create an environment that allows them to more easily be involved in the electoral process".


"Vote tampering and rigging fears are rife, and for good reason," he said more bluntly on X.


Roof Hassan, PTI's secretary for information, said in a video statement that party agents in the field had reported PTI candidates leading in 125 constituencies. "An effort may be afoot to tamper with the results," he said of the delay in announcements from ECP headquarters.


First-time voter Haleema Shafiq, a 22-year-old psychology student, said she believed in the importance of voting. "I believe in democracy. I want a government that can make Pakistan safer for girls," she told AFP in Islamabad.


Syed Tassawar, a 39-year-old construction worker, added: "My only fear is whether my vote will be counted for the same party I cast it for."

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