Pakistan election results 2024 Highlights: Imran Khan to decide next PM, claims PTI chief

The Commonwealth election observers’ mission in Pakistan said on Saturday that barring a few incidents, the election process was held smoothly.

Jonathan Goodluck, the head of the mission, delivered the preliminary findings of the Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) in Islamabad. (PTI)

A massive protest erupted in Muzaffarabad city in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Saturday, where people protested against miserable living conditions in the region.

A noted political activist, Toqeer Gilani, accused Pakistan of "betraying" the people of PoK compelling them to live a "miserable life." (PTI)

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Saturday claimed that President Arif Alvi would invite his party to form the government as they had secured a majority in the National Assembly, according to a media report.

To form a government, a party must win 133 seats out of 265 in the National Assembly. Election to one seat was postponed after the death of a candidate. (PTI)

Pakistan Election Result 2024 Live Updates: The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) today held a party meeting to discuss the formation of the government. The party led by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has won 73 seats so far.

According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, the counting of 255 out of 266 seats of the National Assembly has been completed.

The independent candidates, a vast majority of them backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, are on the top with 101 seats, followed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)with 73 seats and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) with 54 seats.

Results are yet to be declared for 9 seats.

According to Al Jazeera, supporters of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party are staging a protest rally in Lahore amid claims that the delay in the announcement of results is allowing authorities to rig the votes.

Pakistan Election Result 2024 Live Updates: PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb has said the party is thinking about the losses in its traditional strongholds, adding that the party was not “insensitive or oblivious” to it, reports Dawn.

Pakistan Election Result 2024 Live Updates: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has told Geo News that his party has not had any official conversation with PML-N, the PTI or any other political parties regarding a possible coalition.

On being asked if he or his father, Asif Zardari, had any meeting with PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, Bilawal said that he is in no position to confirm

“I am in no position to confirm any such meeting. When all the results are in front of us, we will be in a position to engage with others,” he said.

Pakistan Election Result 2024 Live Updates: According to The Express Tribune, several petitions have been filed in the Lahore High Court contesting the victories of key PML-N candidates, including three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, and Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) leader Aleem Khan.

Pakistan Election Result 2024 Live Updates: Pakistan's Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq has said that an engineered election and fabricated results would lead to the formation of a counterfeit government. In a post on X, he emphasised that Pakistan would not tolerate such an outcome.

Pakistan Election Result 2024 Live Updates: “Pakistan needs free and fair elections, which includes transparency in counting votes and respect for the results. I believe today, as I always have, that we must accept the voters' decision with grace. I hope our elected officials, whether in government or opposition parties, will prioritise democracy and prosperity for the people of Pakistan,” Pakistan's Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai wrote on X.

Pakistan Election Result 2024 Live Updates: As per the latest tally posted on the election commission’s website, independent candidates had won 100 seats. They are well ahead of the 72 seats secured by the PML-N in second position and the PPP’s 54, reports Al Jazeera.

Pakistan Election Result 2024 Live Updates: Imran Khan-led Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Insaf has termed the nationwide disruption to X (formerly known as Twitter) as “absolutely shameful”.

“This is absolutely shameful. After closing mobile services in Pakistan during election day, they have no blocked X in Pakistan because PTI was exposing the rigging!!” PTI wrote on the social media.

Pakistan Election Result 2024 Live Updates: Social media platform X (formerly Twitter) is experiencing a nationwide disruption in Pakistan, Internet monitor Netblocks has reported.

“Live metrics show a nation-scale disruption to X/Twitter across #Pakistan; the incident comes amid political turmoil after a controversial election held under an internet and mobile network blackout,” Netblocks wrote on X.

Pakistan Election Result 2024 Live Updates: While addressing a press conference, PTI chairperson Barrister Gohar, says that party founder Imran Khan will decide who will be the next prime minister of Pakistan, reports The Express Tribune.

"Who will be the next prime minister, Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi sb will decide. He is the one, always, and he is the leader whether he is in jail or outside," he says.

Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf says that a banner for independents would be announced within 24 hours, reports Al Jazeera.

“We have no fear of independents going anywhere, because these are the people who have struggled for the last 18 months and endured all kinds of torture and oppression,” says Zulfi Bukhari, Imran Khan’s close aide.

As per law, independent candidates in Pakistan cannot form a government on their own and need to join a party. They can nominate affiliation to any party within 72 hours.

To form a government in Pakistan, a party must win 133 seats out of 265 in the National Assembly.

Pakistan President Arif Alvi asserts that the election result delay could have been avoided if electronic voting machines (EVMs) were in use.

“Remember 'our' long struggle for Electronic Voting Machines. EVM had paper ballots that could be counted separately by hand (like it is being done today) BUT it also had a simple electronic calculator/counter of each vote button pressed. Totals of every candidate would have been available & printed within five minutes of the closing of poll,” he wrote on X.

He adds: “The entire effort that included more than 50 meetings at the Presidency alone was scuttled. Had EVMs been there today, my dear beloved Pakistan would have been spared this crisis.”

PTI leader Barrister Gohar Khan has claimed that candidates backed by his party are ahead on 170 National Assembly seats out of the 265, reports Dawn.

“We claim with great certitude that right now, the PTI has achieved a lead on 170 seats of the National Assembly. “Out of these, 94 are those that the ECP is admitting and has issued Form-47 (provisional results).”

Interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar tells TRT World that he anticipates the formation of a coalition government.

“It appears that no single party is poised to form the government independently. I anticipate the formation of a coalition — a coalition of whosoever,” he says.

Addressing reporters, PTI leader Barrister Gohar Khan says that all institutions in Pakistan should respect the mandate given to their party, reports Reuters. He also warned of protests if complete poll results are not announced by tonight.

“If complete poll results are not announced by tonight, we will hold peaceful protests tomorrow,” he says, according to Reuters.

PTI leader Barrister Gohar Khan, a close aide of jailed former PM Imran Khan, says that his party will try to form the national government as their candidates have won the most seats in the polls.

PTI-backed candidates from two constituencies of Islamabad – NA-47 and NA-48 – have challenged election results in the Islamabad High Court, reports The Express Tribune.

The results were challenged by Shoaib Shaheen and Ali Bukhari, who have also requested for the plea to be heard today.

The Election Commission of Pakistan has not released official information about voter turnout, saying it will do so once all the results are out. However, according to the Free and Fair Election Network, an independent watchdog, about 60 million out of more than 128 million registered voters cast their ballots in Thursday’s polls. That’s about 47% turnout, lower than the one for the 2018 parliamentary polls.

Earlier today, Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan claimed victory in the Pakistan general elections 2024 through a pre-recorded audio-visual message created using artificial intelligence, hours after his political rival and ex-PM Nawaz Sharif claimed to have won the election. Here's what all he said.