LAHORE, Pakistan – Former Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan both claim victory in the recent elections in Pakistan, causing political turmoil in the country. Sharif’s party won the most seats by a single party, while supporters of Khan, who ran as independents, won the most overall.
Results of the elections have been marred by delays and militant attacks, with more than three-quarters of the 265 seats taking more than 24 hours to declare results. Imprisoned Khan’s supporters, who ran as independents after his party was barred from the polls, won the most seats. This has led to further political uncertainty in a country struggling to overcome an economic crisis amid rising militancy.
In a speech to his supporters, Sharif announced that his party would talk to other groups to form a coalition government, as they had failed to win a clear majority on their own. His Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won 69 seats, while the Pakistan People’s Party of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of assassinated premier Benazir Bhutto, garnered 51 seats. The remaining seats were won by small parties and other independents.
On the other hand, Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party released an audio-visual message, rejecting Sharif’s claim to victory and congratulating his supporters for “winning” the election. Khan has been in jail since August and was convicted three times in the leadup to the polls.
The results have shown a fractured verdict, with the possibility of a coalition government, which analysts say will struggle to tackle the challenges facing the country. These challenges include seeking a new bailout program from the International Monetary Fund as the current arrangement expires in three weeks. The delay in announcing results has led to policy and political uncertainty, causing Karachi’s stock index and Pakistan’s sovereign bonds to fall.
The election was anticipated to help resolve the crises Pakistan has been facing, but the fractured verdict could potentially lead to further exposure to forces that create instability. As the country grapples with these challenges, the political environment remains deeply polarized, and a coalition government may face difficulty in addressing and resolving them.