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PremiumPakistan Election Results 2024 Highlights: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has won National and Provincial Assembly seats in Lahore, as reported by ARY News on Friday, citing the Election Commission of Pakistan.
Voting concluded in Pakistan for parliamentary elections on Thursday at 5 pm amidst escalating militant attacks and allegations of electoral misconduct, raising concerns about the integrity of the vote and the likelihood of a coalition government formation due to deep political divisions.
Meanwhile, Pakistan suspended mobile phone services across the nation on Thursday citing the need to preserve order amidst anticipated unrest surrounding the contentious polls.
Following the election, the newly elected parliament will select a prime minister. If no single party secures a majority, the party with the largest portion of assembly seats can form a coalition government.
However, the incoming government will confront formidable challenges, including managing internal unrest, addressing a severe economic crisis, and tackling illegal migration.
Inflation is soaring at nearly 30 per cent, with the rupee plummeting for the past three years, and a significant balance of payments deficit has led to a halt in imports, significantly hindering industrial expansion.
Check all the Pakistan Election Results 2024 Live Updates here on LiveMint.
Former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria has said the Pakistan general elections are the most predictable, the most rigged.
"These elections on February 8 are not just the most predictable, but also the most rigged, because it's clear for everyone in Pakistan, if you see the commentary that is coming from within Pakistan, that the election results are clear, that the army in various ways is doing pre-election engineering, it will probably do some election engineering and post-election engineering to get a government that it wants in place," Bisaria said.
"It is said that it will possibly be a selection of Nawaz Sharif and his Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) party. So I think that is a widespread expectation, and that's fairly accurate," Bisaria added. (ANI)
One policeman was allegedly killed in firing on a polling station in Pakistan's Tank region, Reuters reported.
More than 17,000 candidates will be contesting today's elections in Pakistan, Dawn reported.
Voters will elect 266 candidates to the Pakistan National Assembly, who will later, by a majority vote, elect the next prime minister.
Simultaneously, voters will also elect representatives to their respective provincial assemblies, who will then elect the provincial chief executives under a similar process.
Meanwhile, elections have been postponed in one national and three provincial assembly constituencies due to the deaths of contesting candidates. This includes NA-8 (Bajaur), PK-22 (Bajaur), PK-91 (Kohat) and PP-266 (Rahim Yar Khan). Voters elsewhere will cast two votes each -- one for each of the two assemblies. (ANI)
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has said that internet services will remain functional on Thursday as the people are voting to elect a new government.
The PTA in a statement on Wednesday said it had not yet received any instructions from the government to shut internet and that services would work without any interruption on Thursday.
Many non-governmental organisations, including Amnesty International, had called for uninterrupted internet access across the country during the polling process.
“We, the undersigned organisations and members of the #KeepItOn coalition - a global network of over 300 organisations from 105 countries working to end internet shutdowns - appeal to you, Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar and Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, to publicly commit to ensuring that the people of Pakistan have unfettered access to the internet, social media platforms, and all other communication channels throughout the upcoming general election on February 8, 2024," the London-based NGO said. (PTI)
1. Nawaz Sharif
Nawaz Sharif is a leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party. He is the only Pakistani politician who became the prime minister of the coup-prone country for a record three times. However, each term has ended with his ousting from power, in 1993, 1999 and 2017. He has been dubbed as the "Lion of Punjab".
Stand on India: Nawaz Sharif promised a 'Message of Peace' to India in his party manifesto. But this promise was on the condition that New Delhi would revert its August 2019 decision (abrogation of Article 370) on Kashmir, Pakistani media Dawn reported while quoting the manifesto.
2. Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari
Bilawal Bhutto is the chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). He is the son of Benazir Bhutto, the world's first Muslim woman leader, who was twice elected prime minister and assassinated in 2007. His father Asif Ali Zardari served as the 11th president of Pakistan from September 2008 to September 2013. He has been dubbed as a millennial candidate.
Stand on India: In May 2023, when he was the foreign minister of Pakistan, Bilawal Bhutto had criticized India for hosting a tourism conference in the disputed region of Kashmir under its control. He even accused India of "abusing" its G20 presidency. He had also objected to the abrogation of Article 370.
3. Imran Khan
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, the main opposition leader, cannot fight this year's general election. He has been barred from contesting the polls following a series of jail sentences. His party PTI had won the 2018 general election and he became the prime minister until his ouster in a no-confidence vote in 2022.
Imran Khan's stance on India: In June 2023, Imran Khan had said it was supposed to be a quid-pro-quo relationship with India. “India was supposed to give some sort of a road map for Kashmir and I was then going to hos Narendra Modi in Pakistan...but that never materialised," he said this in an interview with the Atlantic Council, a prominent US-based think tank.
In 2019, Imran Khan had asked his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to "give peace a chance" and assured him that he "stands by" his words and will "immediately act" if New Delhi provides Islamabad with "actionable intelligence" on the Pulwama attack. Later in 2021, Khan had welcomed the ceasefire agreement with India and said Islamabad remains ready to move forward to resolve "all outstanding issues" through dialogue.
Pakistan suspended mobile phone services nationwide Thursday as voting began in the general election, saying the measure was an attempt to maintain order ahead of expected turmoil around the controversial polls, Bloomberg reported.
“Given recent surge in terrorist incidents, it has been decided to shut mobile services nationwide temporarily to maintain the law and order situation and tackle threats," the nation’s interior ministry said in a statement.
The statement didn’t say how long the services would be stopped. Some mobile phones were still working as of 8:17 a.m. local time. (Bloomberg)
More than 17,000 candidates will be contesting today's elections in Pakistan, Dawn reported.
Voters will elect 266 candidates to the Pakistan National Assembly, who will later, by a majority vote, elect the next prime minister.
Simultaneously, voters will also elect representatives to their respective provincial assemblies, who will then elect the provincial chief executives under a similar process.
Meanwhile, elections have been postponed in one national and three provincial assembly constituencies due to the deaths of contesting candidates. This includes NA-8 (Bajaur), PK-22 (Bajaur), PK-91 (Kohat) and PP-266 (Rahim Yar Khan). Voters elsewhere will cast two votes each -- one for each of the two assemblies. (ANI)
Voters arrive at a polling booth in Islamabad, as parliamentary general elections get underway in Pakistan.
On the unrest in Pakistan ahead of the country's upcoming Parliamentary Elections, Defence Expert Brigadier (Retd.) Anil Gupta says, “... The Pakistan Army wants to bring in Nawaz Sharif. They have ensured that there is no opposition... They have ensured that they want Nawaz Sharif to be the Prime Minister with their blessings. The Pakistan Army is once again trying to mainstream the terrorist organisations in the country, who under pseudo names are contesting elections."
He further added, “Kashmir is not an issue, it was, it is, and it will always remain an integral part of India. The entire state of J&K had acceded to India in 1947 but it was the Pakistan government which launched attacks and illegally occupied parts of the state which it still does... This is going to be a bloody election and there will be law and order problems with cases of ballot paper looting, candidates being killed or blasts outside polling booths... Imran Khan's arrest is undemocratic. He has been made a victim of circumstances. There's a vilified campaign against him because he did not pay heed to the Pakistan Army." (ANI)
On the unrest in Pakistan ahead of the country's upcoming Parliamentary Elections, Defence Expert Qamar Agha told ANI, “The result of these elections is pre-decided, right from who will be the Prime Minister to how many seats will each party win. If you see there are 2 main candidates, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto."
He further added, “On one hand, Nawaz Sharif is trying to emerge as the single largest party, but if he forms a government in coalition, then he might promote his daughter Maryam as Prime Minister. Nawaz Sharif's relations with the Pakistan Army have improved, his family has been rehabilitated, and he has been forgiven for his crimes. Violence is regularly going on in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Even if the army manages these elections, running the government will be a very difficult task seeing the serious economic crisis and political instability in the country." (ANI)
Millions of Pakistanis began voting Thursday in an election marred by allegations of poll rigging, with the country's most popular politician in jail and a military-favoured candidate tipped to win.
Authorities said they were suspending mobile telephone services across the country during voting “to maintain law and order" following a bloody election campaign -- including two blasts on Wednesday that killed 28 people.
Pollsters have predicted a low turnout from the country's 128 million eligible voters following a lacklustre election campaign overshadowed by the jailing of former prime minister Imran Khan, and the hobbling of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party by the military-led establishment. (AFP)
Pakistanis on Thursday began voting in the general elections to elect a new government to rule the cash-strapped country amid speculation that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's PML-N may emerge as the largest party in Parliament as it is backed by the powerful military.
The polling started at 8.00 AM and will continue without any break till 5.00 PM. A countrywide public holiday has been declared to enable a total of 128,585,760 registered voters to cast their votes.
The counting will start soon after the conclusion of the voting. (PTI)
Pakistan suspends mobile telephone service for election day: interior ministry. (AFP)
Pakistan Elections: As Pakistan heads for yet another crucial general Assembly elections, a bombing at an independent candidate's election office on Wednesday killed 10 people in southwest Pakistan the day before elections. Pakistan is scheduled to go into polls on 8 February 2024.
Pakistan, a nation of nearly 250 million people, will vote to elect a national government and members of the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament. Read here.
The next government will have a long to-do list: fixing the economy, improving relations with the neighbouring, Taliban-run Afghanistan, repairing crumbling infrastructure and resolving year-round power outages. Last but not least is contains religious and separatist militant groups.
Pakistan has been relying on bailouts to prop up its foreign exchange reserves and avoid default, with the International Monetary Fund and wealthy allies like China and Saudi Arabia financing the country to the tune of billions of dollars. The IMF, which last July approved a much-awaited $3 billion bailout, has warned of sustained high inflation this year, around 24%, and a rise in poverty levels. (AP)
Pakistan will hold elections for a new parliament on Thursday. As many as 44 political parties are vying for a share of the 266 seats that are up for grabs in the national assembly, or the lower house of parliament, with an additional 70 seats reserved for women and minorities.
Here are the key players ahead of Pakistan's elections,
1) Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Muslim League: Business mogul, multi-millionaire and three-time premier, Nawaz Sharif hails from one of the top two families that have dominated Pakistani politics for decades. His Pakistan Muslim League party won landslide victories in 2007 and 2013.
But the 74-year-old Sharif has never completed a term in office and was ousted from power each time: once by the military, once by the Supreme Court, and once by the president, AP reported. Read here.
Pakistan Elections: A list of some key events over the last few years leading up to Pakistan's parliamentary election on Thursday:
July 25, 2018 — Pakistanis vote for a new government in an election marred by violence and allegations of fraud.
July 26, 2018 — Former cricket star Imran Khan wins the polls but has to seek out allies to form a coalition. A few weeks later, lawmakers elect him as the country’s prime minister.
Feb. 26, 2019 — Tensions escalate sharply in the region after India launched an airstrike inside Pakistan that New Delhi said targeted a terrorist training camp. Pakistan shot down two Indian warplanes and captured a pilot in retaliation.
Aug. 15, 2021 — The Taliban seize power of Afghanistan during the final weeks of the U.S. and NATO troop withdrawal from the country after a costly two-decade war. Afghans, fearing for the future, race to the airport, one of the last routes out of Afghanistan, and also to the border crossings into Pakistan.
April 9, 2022 — Pakistan’s political opposition topples Imran Khan in a no-confidence vote in parliament. The opposition forms a new government, with Shehbaz Sharif, a brother of the disgraced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, sworn in days later. Read here.
Pakistan election 2024: The 12.8 crore voters of Pakistan are all set to choose a new government on Thursday, an election happening under the close watch of the all-powerful Pakistan Army. Pakistan Muslim League's Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Peoples Party's Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and the candidates of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf are the main contenders for the top post. However, experts have indicated that Nawaz Sharif has the blessings of the Army.
“What is scheduled to happen on February 8 seems less like an election and more like a selection because Pakistan's Army has shown us in the past few days what result they are desiring in the upcoming elections. They want Nawaz Sharif to be selected," former high commissioner of India to Islamabad Ajay Bisaria told news agency ANI. Read here.
At least 30 people were killed and more than 40 others injured on Wednesday in twin blasts targeting election offices in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, a day before the general elections in the coup-prone country.
In the first incident, a powerful blast outside the office of independent candidate Asfandyar Khan Kakar in Pishin district killed 20 people and wounded 30 others.
Less than an hour later, another blast took place outside the election office of a Jamiat-Ulema Islam-Pakistan in the Killa Abdullah area claiming the lives of 10 people and injuring 22 others, officials said. (PTI)
Pakistan on Wednesday dismissed UN human rights body concerns about violence and the right to fundamental democratic freedom ahead of general elections in the country, saying the government has finalised the security plans according to its electoral laws.
Pakistan upholds the rule of law and protects the human rights and fundamental freedoms guaranteed by its laws and constitution, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement, in apparent response to a statement issued by a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Tuesday.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concern over violent incidents ahead of the upcoming general elections set to take place on February 8. (PTI)
Pakistani politics are dominated by men and three parties: the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP).
The top contender is PML-N and on its ballot are two former prime ministers, Nawaz Sharif and his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif.
Their ally the PPP, led by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, a member of a political dynasty, has a power base in the country's south. Though it's unlikely to get enough votes to get him the premiership, he could still be part of a Sharif-led coalition government.
However, it is the absence from the ballot of PTI's founder, cricket legend turned Islamist politician, Imran Khan, that's at the forefront of public discourse in Pakistan. (AP)
Pakistan general elections are set to be held on February 8 after months of delay. The country has been at the centre of political, economic and even judicial drama over the past year. However, many voters still wonder if the balloting can bring any real change in the country.
Meanwhile, Pakistan is also India's immediate neighbour (or rival) as several disputes remain unsolved between the two countries. India has often accused Pakistan of harbouring terrorists, while Pakistan wants to fight India over the Kashmir issue and the Indus Waters Treaty.
In this situation, the stand of Pakistan's new prime minister on India could be important to understand. So, here's a look at Pakistan's prime minister candidates and their stance on India in the past. Read here.
Google has showcased a special doodle as Pakistan's 12.8 crore voters are all set to choose a new government today. The doodle depicted voting paper being placed into a ballot box with the sign of the national flag on it. Read here
As Pakistan prepares for the General Elections on Thursday, persistent polarization and violence continue to pose dire challenges for the country.
To closely monitor security arrangements nationwide, the Interior Ministry of Pakistan has set up a 'control room' to monitor the security during voting.
Nawaz Sharif, the supreme leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), is seeking an unprecedented fourth term. He has made a powerful political comeback after four years of exile in London following his conviction on corruption charges. After returning to Pakistan in October, the majority of his sentences were reversed by the courts, allowing him to contest the elections.
Whereas, on the other hand, Imran Khan, founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and considered one of the most popular leaders in the country, is incarcerated in Adiala jail on multiple charges. (ANI)
