Pakistan Election Results 2018 LIVE: 'Captain' Imran Khan in Driver's Seat as Opponents Cry Foul

Amid Allegations of Rigged Pakistan Elections Result, Results Being Handed Out in Plain Paper | As per the rules, Election Commission of Pakistan officials are bound to provide results on Form 45, instead results were handed out on plain paper in Khi & Hyderabad.

#PakistanElections2018 As per the rules, Election Commission of Pakistan officials are bound to provide results on Form 45, instead results were handed out on plain paper in Khi & Hyderabad. pic.twitter.com/cANGPAeUzU

— ANI (@ANI) July 26, 2018

Interesting would be, Raghavan added, to see what the opposition parties do. The question remains as to what they will do about the mandate that has come out, the former Indian High Commissioner said.

No Chance of India-Pak 'Coalition' if Imran Khan Becomes Pakistan Prime Minister, Says TCA Raghavan | As PTI chief Imran Khan appears to be on a steady path to becoming the Prime Minister of Pakistan, former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan has said that the cricketer-turned-politician cannot be what former PM Nawaz Sharif was to India. “Nawaz Sharif has a personal conviction and a vision in terms of how relations with India should be. And that is something he has developed over two decades in governance. It will take time for Imran Khan to actually have that sort of conviction because he has not been in that position before,” said TCA Raghavan. 

Latest Figures: PTI Leaders Lead in 3 Seats, PML-N's in 2 | PTI's Sher Ali Arbab wins Peshawar 4 with 73,781 votes as MMA's Arbab Najeebullah Khan stands second with 18,111 votes. PTI’s Chaudhry Farrukh Altaf wins Jhelum 1 with 112,356 votes. PML-N’s Chaudhry Nadeem Khadim second with 92,912 votes. PTI's Ghulam Sarwar Khan wins Rawalpindi 7 (Taxila) with 64,301 votes as former PML-N leader and independent candidate Chaudhry Nisar stands at second place with 48,497 votes. PML-N's Chaudhry Iftikhar Nazir wins Khanewal 4 with 106,291 votes. PTI's Malik Ghulam Murtaza Maitla comes second with 76,920 votes. PML-N’s Rana Tanvir Hussain wins Sheikhupura 2 with 99,674 votes. PTI's Ali Asghar Chaudhry is the runner-up with 74, 165 votes. 

Washington: Pakistan watchers in the US on Thursday 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".

Imran Khan's Regime 'Established'? | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has established itself as the leading party in General Elections 2018, Pakistan Today — an English Daily of the country tweeted its front page that has Imran Khan's picture with inked thumb and says 'Established'. The Guardian said that the newspaper seems to be having a dig at Khan’s alleged establishment connections.

PTI has established itself as the leading party in General Elections 2018#ElectionPakistan2018 #PTI #PMLN #ImranKhan pic.twitter.com/jZCp3wLbtf

— Pakistan Today (@ePakistanToday) July 25, 2018

London MP Supports Imran Khan? Tweets 'Pakistan Zindabad' | A London MP, Zac Goldsmith, who ran against Sadiq Khan to become London mayor, has tweeted about Pakistan elections.“Pakistan Zindabad!” he wrote. Though Goldsmith did not express a support for any individual or party, many people commenting on the tweet interpreted it as a statement of support for his former brother-in-law, cricketer Imran Khan, who is in the lead to win the election, according to initial polling. According to The Guardian, Khan was married to Goldsmith’s sister Jemima Goldsmith between 1995 and 2004. However, some on Twitter pointed out that Goldsmith ran a campaign to become London mayor against his British-Pakistani opponent Sadiq Khan that many deemed to be racist.

Remember when you were the face of the most racist mainstream Electoral Campaign in C21st UK? Yeah well the rest of us do.

— Bristol Red (@BristolRed) July 25, 2018

PTI Leading in 114 National Assembly Seats | Based on reporting of 47 per cent of polling stations, PTI is leading on 114 National Assembly seats, while the PML-N trails behind with 64 and the PPP-Parliamentarians (PPP-P) is at third spot with 42 seats. According to Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, with preliminary results from 50% polling stations available with ECP in Punjab, PML-N is currently holding its lead on 129 provincial seats but PTI is closing in with a lead on 122 seats. Meanwhile, PTI is clearly steering ahead in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with a lead on 64 seats against Muttahida Majlis–e–Amal (MMA), which is currently leading on 12 seats, as per reporting from 35pc polling stations in the province. The preliminary results from 37% polling stations in Sindh show PPP-P leading on 75 seats, followed by PTI on 22 seats. In Balochistan, Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) is leading on 12 provincial seats, followed by Balochistan National Party (BNP) on 9 seats, based on unofficial results from 35pc polling stations.

Although Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers and supporters started celebrations before the final results, no statement — or even a tweet — has been issued by Imran Khan on his victory. His spokesperson Naeemul Haque, however, tweeted that the PTI chief will “address the nation” today at 2pm “in celebration and recognition of the massive support received from the people of Pakistan in the 2018 elections which was a contest between the forces of good and evil”. According to AFP, Gallup Pakistan estimated voter turnout at between 50 to 55 per cent in an electorate of nearly 106 million — similar to the previous contest in 2013.

'Imran Khan-led Govt Will Introduce Further Rockiness into US-Pakistan Ties' | At a midnight press conference when the vote count was underway, PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif said the election was a "blatant violation" of the mandate of the people. Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari too raised doubts over the slow pace of vote count and other procedural irregularities. "There are serious allegations of tampering and interference for virtually all parties except the PTI. So the Election Commission of Pakistan will have to respond but it is unclear how," former state department official Alyssa Ayres, who is now with the Council on Foreign Relations, said. In an early-morning press conference, the Election Commission rejected the charges, saying it did "our job right." "In the meantime, the prospect of an Imran Khan-led government will in my view introduce further rockiness into US-Pakistan ties. He is on the record saying things like 'America is destroying Pakistan' and will likely seek to reduce Pakistan-US cooperation, already troubled to begin with. So count me concerned," Ayres said. Imran Khan, Pakistan experts widely believe, has the backing of the Pakistani army.

Pakistan Election Results 'Foretold' | Husain Haqqani, a former Pakistan ambassador to the US,  said that the result of the election was "foretold". "PML-N and PPP were running under constraints and PTI was operating with complete freedom and establishment backing." Haqqani, who is with the Hudson Institute think-tank,  said the result was unlikely to change anything in Pakistan, unless the military-led establishment decides to shutdown its "jihad business" and recognises it as the source of the country's isolation and economic difficulties. "It is unlikely that a prime minister Imran Khan will act decisively against jihadis, given his sympathy for their cause but miracles can happen," Haqqani said. The comments came as political parties in Pakistan, including the incumbent Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, too raised allegations that the election was manipulated and rigged in PTI chief Khan's favour.

Pakistan Watchers in US Doubt Fairness of General Elections | 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. "We continue to monitor developments and have consistently emphasised our support for free, fair, transparent and accountable elections in Pakistan, as we do around the world," a State Department spokesperson told the Press Trust of India.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement boycotts elections in Karachi, Sindh | The people of Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkar, Mirpurkhas and other urban cities of Sindh province boycotted the elections, following the appeal made by MQM founder Altaf Hussain. Hussain congratulated the Mohajir community for successfully boycotting the polls, thereby proving their unity. Last week, the MQM Chief had urged the ethnic Mohajir community to boycott Pakistan's general election.

Imran Khan's PTI About to Assume Leadership in Pakistan? | The Guardian reporter Mehreen Zahra-Malik says politicians from Imran Khan’s PTI party are not taking journalists’ calls, indicating they may be aware they’re about to assume leadership of the country. “People who were picking up my calls on the first bell until yesterday are now not picking up call number three,” she said. “It’s usually always harder to get in touch with the guys in power.” In contrast, she said, PML-N were eager to speak to the media. “PML-N answering because obviously they want to get their narrative out there.”

Suddenly all PMLN leaders answering their phones and PTI politicians not picking up. I guess this is what happens when you know you're the king's party and your leader is about to become the PM. #Pakistan :)

— Mehreen Zahra-Malik (@mehreenzahra) July 25, 2018

RECAP: PTI's Tweet | The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has tweeted that it will wait for the full results to come out before commenting on formation of government. The party is currently leading in 113 seats and would need outside support to reach the magic mark of 137. 

We will wait for complete results before making a comment on formation of government etc. @SMQureshiPTI #JeetayGaKaptaan

— PTI (@PTIofficial) July 25, 2018

RECAP: Why is There Delay in Pakistan Elections | The delay in announcing the official results is due to a technical issue with the Results Transmission System (RTS), according to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). "We were supposed to get 85,000 forms through the RTS but only 25,000 managed to come through," Aljazeera quoted Babar Yaqoob, the ECP secretary, as saying, before adding that forms bearing results from the polling stations would be transported by road to the Returning Officers. "We havent't received a single result yet." 

Pakistan Religious Parties Fail to Impress | The new religious political parties failed to make any impressive electoral success apart from Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA). The combined strength of contestants of Pakistan Rah-e-Haq Party (PRHP), Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek's (AAT) and Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) was more than the candidates of MMA. MMA, and alliance of five Islamic parties — Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (Fazl), Jamaat-e-Islami, Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith, Islami Tehreek and Ulema-e-Pakistan — is leading from a dozen national assembly constituencies, mainly from traditional stronghold of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, reports The Express Tribune this morning. 

Latest Figures in Pakistan Election Results | Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)'s Zulfiqar Bachani emerged victorious in Tando Allahyar election after he attained 80,230 votes. Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA's) Mohammad Mohsin stood runner-up with 51,536 votes. Meanwhile, PTI's Khurram Shehzad Nawaz won election in Islamabad-1 by bagging 64,690 votes. He was trailed by PML-N candidate Tariq Fazl Chaudhry, who secured 34,072 votes, according ot Geo TV. PML-N's Hamza Shehbaz won election in Lahore-2 by bagging 139,443 votes. He was followed by PTI candidate Nauman Qaisar, who secured 69,251 votes.

Imran Khan's PTI Was Billed as Anti-Corruption Party, Yet It Has Welcomed Droves of 'Corrupt' People, Says Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's Granddaughter | Fatima Bhutto, the granddaughter of Pakistan's first democratically elected head of state, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, writes in The Guardian that Imran Khan’s morally flexible manifesto is sadly not unique. "The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is billed as an anti-corruption party, yet it has welcomed droves of allegedly corrupt people from the Pakistan People’s Party, an Olympic-level bunch of looters and thieves, and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), who have long flatlined the aspirations of their people," she says. Bhutto further writest that in the run-up to Wednesday’s elections in Pakistan, hard-pressed attempts at democracy seem to have given way to a fully-fledged circus. "We have powerful, all-knowing ringmasters, caged lions, knife-throwers, trapeze artists flying from perch to perch, even cruelty to animals is included. Ours is a circus which looks to be performing its last show before it shuts down – evidenced most clearly by its last act, the clown. The political record of the former cricket star Imran Khan, who is thought to be near to victory due to the backing of Pakistan’s powerful military establishment, has long been one of opportunism and obeisance," she says.

Thousands 'Deprived' of Right to Vote During Pakistan Elections | Even as supporters of Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) begin celebrations, it had come to light that thousands of voters could not exercise their right to franchise because of time limitations, non-transference of votes and late delivery of computerised national identity cards (CNIC). According to The Express Tribune, a large number of voters complained that either their votes could not be transferred from one area to another, or they could not get their CNICs depsite a speedy printing of around 650,000 identity cards by the National Database and Registration Authority in the last five day.

Success of Imran Khan's PTI marks a new era, Says Dawn Newspaper This Morning | Some estimates say that Imran will win more than 100 seats. Even if the PTI secures 90-odd seats his wish will be fulfilled and he would not require the crutches that some others might have been quite keen to offer him in his attempt to lead this country as its chief executive. He can well do with the support of the ‘azad’ (Independent) Members National Assembly (MNAs) even though for longevity’s sake he may be advised to cultivate good relations with smaller groups among the nationalists and Islamists that may yet sneak into the parliament. According to Pakistan's newspaper, Dawn, this PTI success marks a new era. Imran’s struggle was avowedly to end the domination of not just one party but he sought to correct a whole system that had been exploited. The main culprits in his book were the Pakistan Peoples Party and the PML-N. In some of his recent remarks he made it quite clear that he was allergic to the idea of having to enter into an alliance with the PPP of Asif Zardari, who to the PTI cadres is epitome of all that is bad in the country.

What Does Pakistan's Dawn Newspaper Say This Morning About Pakistan Election Results | In a role-swap with the PML-N, prime minister front-runner Imran Khan appears to be all set to emerge as the leader with enough resources at his disposal to form a government without ‘unwanted’ allies. He must start with a self- assurance that those who are disputing the results now do not have the stamina or the critical backing that had enabled him to sustain a protest campaign — which had its origins in PTI’s grievances against poll rigging — for five long years. But as the chief executive of the country he will have to do better than blaming it all on an international conspiracy. He will have to be mindful of the international interest in Pakistan, today's Pakistan's Dawn Newspaper states.

RECAP: Imran Khan Leading in Lahore | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI's) Nawaz Khan has won the election in Battagram by bagging 21,200 votes. Khan was followed by Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal's (MMA's) Mohammad Yousuf, who attained 16,789 votes. PTI Chairman Imran Khan was leading the polls in Lahore with 8,033 votes. Khan was trailed by PML-N heavyweight Khawaja Saad Rafique, who has so far attained 7,644 votes, according to Geo TV.

As Imran Khan-led PTI Claims Victory, Sharif Calls Elections 'Dirtiest Polls in Pakistan History' | At his midnight press conference, Sharif said that "these were the dirtiest polls in Pakistan's history." "This is a horrible situation which I have never seen in my 30-year political career...The results of several constituencies have been withheld where PML-N candidates were winning. We will not accept this." PML-N senator Mushahid Hussain Syed too raised similar doubts on the election results. "This is the first time in Pakistan's history that five political parties have called a foul play in the polls and termed them massively rigged," he said. Shortly after the allegation were made, ECP secretary Babar Yaqoob said the Result Transmission Service failed after results of 25,000 out of 85,000 polling stations were uploaded. He too rejected any wrongdoing in the election and said "the issue of fraud can be discussed after ECP announces the results." However, the Imran Khan-led PTI claimed victory. Sensing victory, hundreds of PTI supporters came out on streets in jubilation. They parked their vehicles in the middle of roads, played loud music and danced through the streets in several cities, including the capital Islamabad. "We have got our Naya Pakistan," Shahid Ali, one of the supporters, said as he danced euphorically near the busy Faizabad interchange, which links Islamabad with the garrison city of Rawalpindi. The wild celebrations led to traffic jams at many places.

Delay Due to Results Transmission System Being Implemented for the 1st Time, the Dawn Reports | The CEC stressed the delay was on account of a new system - Results Transmission System - introduced by it. "We were implementing it for the first time. Therefore, there was some delay," Dawn online quoted him as saying. Asked about the doubts and the allegations, he said: "We will prove ourselves that we did our job right." The early-morning press conference came hours after Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president Shahbaz Sharif in Lahore outrightly rejected the results, alleging "blatant" rigging of the election, even though the vote count was under way. Sharif warned his party would launch protests against the alleged rigging. He did not say who he believes could have rigged the polls, but allegations of manipulating the elections have been made against the country's powerful military. "Some five other parties including PPP have raised the rigging issue in polls. After consulting them, I will announce the future course of action. Pakistan has suffered today," he told journalists at the press conference in Lahore. "We will fight this injustice and use all options," he said, adding that there has been a "blatant violation" of the mandate.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan leads in NA-35 (Bannu) with 44,878 votes. MMA's Akram Khan Durrani lags behind with 32,467 votes, according to unofficial figures. 

Chief Election Commissioner Sardar Raza Khan: I regret the delay in relaying of elections results. I assure the people of Pakistan that the delay in election results is purely technical.

Chief Election Commissioner Sardar Raza Khan addresses press : I thank the people of Pakistan for voting in huge numbers and all those polling officers who ensured that the polling went in a smooth way. I also want to thank Pakistan’s Army for helping bring peace during the electoral process.

An official announcement from the Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan is expected soon, Geo TV reports. The results have been delayed due to a glitch in the Result Transmission Service. Presiding officers have been asked to meet their returning officers, along with army officers assigned to their voting booths, with the results, ECP secretary Babar Yaqoob said.