Imran Khan's PTI-backed independents lead with 92 seats, Nawaz's PMLN bags 71, PPP 54
Thirteen seats are still pending as the country remains on edge over its political future, according to the Election Commission of Pakistan's provisional results.
As the Pakistan Election Commission continued announcing the election results for National and provincial assemblies, the PTI-backed independents, including the PTI-backed candidates, had won 92 seats, with the PMLN and PPP securing 71 and 54 seats, respectively.
Other parties had won 36 seats till the filing of the report.
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The remaining 13 seats are still pending as the country remains on edge over its political future.
The remaining seats are NA-40, NA-43, NA-62, NA-85, NA-88, NA-251, NA-252, NA-253, NA-254, NA-258, NA-259, NA-260, NA-261, NA-263 and NA-266.
Unofficial results of the election to the provincial assembly seats declared by the returning officers/Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) till late Friday night showed that the PMLN would be in a position to form the government in Punjab, PPP will retain the Sindh government, PTI-supported independents group to get Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa again, while a coalition government seems in the making in Balochistan.
Sharif's party won the most seats by a single party in Thursday's election, but supporters of imprisoned Khan, who ran as independents instead of as a single bloc after his party was barred from the polls, won the most seats overall.
Sharif said his party would talk to other groups to form a coalition government as it had failed to win a clear majority on its own.
Sharif's announcement came after more than three-quarters of the 265 seats had declared results, more than 24 hours after polling ended on Thursday when 28 people were killed in militant attacks.
Analysts had predicted there may be no clear winner, adding to the woes of a country struggling to recover from an economic crisis while it grapples with rising militancy in a deeply polarised political environment.
The results showed independents, most of them backed by Khan, had won the most seats - 98 of the 245 counted by 1830 GMT.
Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won 69 while the Pakistan People's Party of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of assassinated premier Benazir Bhutto, got 51.
The rest were won by small parties and other independents.
PMLN, PPP 'agree' to form govt in Centre, Punjab
The PMLN and the PPP have agreed to form a coalition government in the Centre and Punjab, it is learnt after PMLN leader Shehbaz Sharif met PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto and former president Asif Ali Zardari and invited them to work together for Pakistan.
Shehbaz met the PPP top leaders at the residence of Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi. Party sources said Shehbaz discussed the future government formation with Zardari and also conveyed him Nawaz Sharif's message. Shehbaz asked the two PPP leaders to sit with the PMLN leadership for political and economic stability in Pakistan.
Sources claimed that Zardari and Shehbaz agreed to form a government in Punjab and at the centre and both the parties will present their own views in the next meeting and finalize all matters regarding the power-sharing formula as to who will assume which office and where with mutual consultation. The meeting lasted 45 minutes.
PMLN Quaid and former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Friday invited all the political partie
To form the government, a party needs the support of at least 26 MPAs, and three parties, including the PPP, PMLN, JUIF and ANP, could comfortably form the coalition government.
In 2008, the PPP formed the government along with allies with Aslam Raisani as the CM. Most of the PPP MPAs, who won the 2024 elections, recently joined the party after the visit of PPPP head Asif Ali Zardari.
Nation needs stable hands: Army chief
The Army chief of Pakistan said, according to the ISPR, that Pakistan's diverse polity and pluralism will be well-represented by a unified government of all democratic forces imbibed with national purpose.
He said, "Elections and democracy are means to serve people of Pakistan and not ends in themselves. The nation needs stable hands and a healing touch to move on from the politics of anarchy and polarisation which does not suit a progressive country of 250 million people.
"Elections are not a zero-sum competition of winning and losing but an exercise to determine the mandate of the people. Political leadership and their workers should rise above self-interests and synergise efforts in governing and serving the people which is perhaps the only way to make democracy functional and purposeful."
"As the people of Pakistan have reposed their combined trust in the Constitution of Pakistan, it is now incumbent upon all political parties to reciprocate the same with political maturity and unity.
"As we move forward from this national milestone we must reflect on where the country stands today and where our rightful place should be in the comity of nations," he added
The statement added the Army chief wishes that these elections bring in political and economic stability and prove to be the harbinger of peace and prosperity for our beloved Pakistan, reports DAWN.
US 'concerned' about allegations of interference in elections
The US State Department has said it is "concerned about allegations of interference in the electoral process" in Pakistan.
According to a statement issued by State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, the US joined "credible international and local election observers in their assessment that these elections included undue restrictions on freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly".
"We condemn electoral violence, restrictions on the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including attacks on media workers, and restrictions on access to the Internet and telecommunication services," the statement added.
"Claims of interference or fraud should be fully investigated."
It further said the US was "prepared to work with the next Pakistani government, regardless of political party, to advance our shared interests".
