Pakistan vote count concludes: Imran Khan's aides take lead, but may not form govt

Reeling under one of its worst economic crisis, the recent general elections have only added to Pakistan’s woes as they threw up a hung verdict. The mandate has prompted the three main political parties to intensify efforts to form a coalition government.

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, backed by Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir, has proposed a coalition government to address the nation's challenges.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has declared results for 264 out of 265 contested seats in the 266-member National Assembly.

Independent candidates backed by imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan's PTI party have emerged as the frontrunners in the final results of Pakistan's general election.

PTI’s Independents lead

Independent candidates have secured 101 seats in the National Assembly, with 93 of them supported by PTI. This places them ahead of Nawaz Sharif's PMLN, which won 75 seats — leaving uncertainty over who will form the government.

As negotiations continue, independent candidates who were unsuccessful in the election have filed numerous allegations of vote-rigging in courts.

Both Khan's PTI, which was prevented from participating in the election, and Sharif's PMLN have expressed their desire to form the next government.

The election outcome was unexpected. Many observers predicted that Sharif's party, believed to have the backing of the powerful military, to emerge victorious. Considering Khan's imprisonment on various charges and his party's exclusion from the ballot, this was expected to be a foregone conclusion.

To assume power, a candidate must demonstrate leadership of a coalition with a simple majority of 169 seats in the National Assembly.

Bhutto-Sharif tie-up?

Bilawal Bhutto of the PPP, which garnered the third-highest number of votes, has claimed that they have not engaged in formal discussions with either Imran Khan's PTI or Nawaz Sharif's PMLN. However, PMLN has indicated that Bhutto's father informally met with Sharif's brother in Lahore.

Even with their combined strength, they would still lack the majority by 6 seats.

Geo TV reported on Saturday that Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and his brother Shehbaz Sharif, along with Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), have reached an agreement to establish a coalition government in both the Centre and Punjab.

Meanwhile, a senior aide to former Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Saturday that candidates supported by the party of imprisoned Pakistani opposition leader Imran Khan intend to establish a government.

MQM makes a comeback

The MQM party, based in Karachi, has also made a comeback in the polls, securing 17 seats and potentially playing a role in any coalition.

Of the National Assembly's 366 seats, 266 are determined by direct voting, while 70 are reserved—60 for women and 10 for non-Muslims — and are allocated based on each party's strength in the assembly.

Police erected barricades near the election commission building in Rawalpindi on Sunday in anticipation of protests, while authorities in Islamabad warned of action against demonstrators.