In the recent national elections of Pakistan, independents supported by former Prime Minister Imran Khan have taken the lead, securing 93 of the 264 seats. The party of Nawaz Sharif, another former Prime Minister, followed with 75 seats, making it the largest single party despite not having a clear majority. These independents ran as individuals and not under Khan’s party banner.
The process of forming a new government remains uncertain as coalition negotiations are underway and supporters have staged protests in some parts of the country. Questions have been raised regarding the election commission’s delay in releasing the final vote count, which took over 60 hours after the polls closed.
Both former Prime Ministers, who are political adversaries, have claimed victory. This adds to the uncertain political environment as Pakistan must address pressing issues such as securing a new deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to stabilize its economy.
A candidate for Prime Minister must obtain a simple majority of 169 seats in the National Assembly, which will be a challenge given the current fragmented assembly and the need for coalition building. The outcome will hinge on the ability of Khan’s supporters to possibly form a unified group with smaller parties to obtain additional reserve seats.
Although a nation-wide protest by Khan’s PTI party was called off, reports came in from Peshawar about hundreds of PTI supporters blocking a significant highway. This situation has led to disruptions for travelers in the region, according to both a police source and motorists.
The interim government has attributed the counting delay to mobile internet outages on election day, citing security reasons. This explanation has drawn scrutiny from human rights organizations and foreign entities, including the US.
On social media, a PTI party secretary called for demonstrations at specific electoral offices over concerns surrounding the authenticity of the results. The majority of the independent winners are affiliated with Khan’s PTI.
Despite running as independents due to a technical disqualification from using the PTI symbol, Khan’s supporters were able to garner considerable votes. Khan himself remains imprisoned on various charges, barring him from holding office. One significant challenge for these independents is their ineligibility for the 70 reserve seats in parliament, which are allocated based on party representation.
Sharif’s party could potentially receive up to 20 reserve seats and has initiated talks with the regional minority party MQM. Although the MQM confirmed the discussions, they have not entered into a formal coalition agreement.
The election commission also noted that the results for two seats have been withheld; one due to the killing of a candidate, which postponed voting, and another where the polling will be concluded later in the month.
