Pakistan election: Ballot boxes are being emptied and counted top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. About 371,000 soldiers were stationed at polling stations yesterday to prevent attacks, nearly five times the number deployed at the last election in 2013. Violence erupted across the country, with at least 31 dead in the worst attack, a suspected suicide bomb in the city if Quetta. The election battle was predominantly between the parties of ex-cricket star Imran Khan (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or PTI) and the disgraced former PM Nawaz Sharif (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz or PML-N). Sharif's brother, Shehbaz, now leads the PML-N. According to the latest opinion polls, neither Khan nor Sharif were likely to win a clear majority in the election. Khan has emerged as victorious, but the official count has been marred by corruption allegations, and a victory speech was made while only 50 percent of votes had been officially declared. Here is the latest news and live updates on the Pakistan election and results. All times in BST, which is four hours behind Pakistan. Friday July 27 5.50am update: Imran Khan has won but will need COALITION to form government Official results give cricket star win. But will need a coalition to form government. 4:58am update: Still no result two days after election The official result of the election has still not been announced, as Pakistan wakes up to its second full day following its election. Yesterday, Imran Khan claimed victory, but this still hasn't been confirmed by authorities. 3:55am update: Khan wants more 'equal' relationship with America Khan said he would work for a more equal “more balanced relationship” with the US. He said he wanted better ties with Iran and would use his power to play a reconciliatory role in the Middle East. 1:37am update: Khan promises to address all vote rigging allegations In his victory speech, Imran Khan said his government would facilitate investigations into rigging complaints. He ended by saying: “I thank all Pakistanis again... pray for me that Allah gives me the strength to fulfil all the promises I have made to you.” 0:03am update: Will Khan's leadership cause problems for women? Some analysts have predicted that the new leadership of Imran Khan could cause problems for women in Pakistan. In one recent interview, the former cricketer described western feminist as an impediment to motherhood. He has also promised to transform Pakistan into an Islamic State - something which could lead to restrictions on women. Caitlin Doherty takes over reporting from Kate Whitfield Thursday July 26 9.52pm update: Not too much longer to go now The current count is as follows: PTI - 103 PML-N - 53 PPP - 27 Other - 29 There are 60 more seats to be declared until we have the full tally on 272. If PTI hit 137, they will have an outright majority in a stunning defeat. 9pm update: Who is Imran Khan, Pakistan's next leader? While we wait for more results to be announced, here’s a look at the enigmatic future leader’s life till now. Khan was born Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi in Lahore in 1952. The cricket star, now 65, was best known in the 70s as an Oxford-educated playboy. He was spotted out at London’s nightclubs with a bevvy of beautiful women on his arm. This glamorous image peaked in 1992, when Khan led Pakistan's cricket team to a World Cup win Things changed in 1995, when he married Jemima Goldsmith, daughter of late Jewish financier Sir James Goldsmith. A devout Muslim, he founded his PTI party shortly after his marriage to Jemima, and he became increasingly devoted to a political career. The main focus of his party is to "bring justice to the people of Pakistan, largely via an independent judiciary". Khan and Jemima had two sons, but their marriage ended in 2004. However, he continued his relentless devotion to politics. In 2007, Khan went on hunger strike to protest against emergency rule in Pakistan a week after being jailed as part of a continuing crackdown on political opponents. He was also charged under anti-terrorism laws after being seized by hard-liners at a student demonstration in Lahore. Today, he is no doubt celebrating that his sacrifices paid off. Earlier today, his ex-wife Jemima tweeted: “22 years later, after humiliations, hurdles and sacrifices, my sons’ father is Pakistan’s next PM. It’s an incredible lesson in tenacity, belief & refusal to accept defeat. The challenge now is to remember why he entered politics in the 1st place. Congratulations @ImranKhanPTI” Khan married 39-year-old faith healer Bushra Maneka in February this year. 8pm upate: RECAP Nothing much has changed over the past hour, and the results declared remain. What is evident now is that Imran Khan's PTI party will have the majority, but whether it's enough to gain an overall majority to form a government remains to be seen. It has long been expected that a coalition government with PPP and PLM-N. We will bring you the result as they are officially declared throughout the night. 7pm update: PTI supporters celebrate into the night Pakistan election: A PTI supporter Pakistan election: PTI is enjoying a comfortable lead Pakistan election: Supporters set of fireworks in celebration 6.45pm update: Khan's cricket fraternity tweet their congrats Former cricketer Wasim Akram wrote: "It was in your leadership skip @ImrankhanPTI that we became world champions in 1992. It is in your leadership that we can again become a great democratic country." Sana Mir wrote: "Congratulations @ImranKhanPTI for your tremendous struggle of 22 years for the people of Pakistan." 6pm update: A few more results trickle in Khan's PTI is still enjoying a comfortable lead, but it is not yet clear whether they will gain an outright majority or have to form a coalition. PTI - 86 PML-N - 46 PPP - 21 Other - 25 4.45pm update: Latest official results PTI - 72 PML-N - 32 PPP - 14 Other - 19 137 seats are needed for an overall majority 3.30pm update: A new age dawns in Pakistan Imran Khan, a former cricketer, playboy, and well-known personality, appears to have done the impossible. Khan has no experience whatsoever in government, yet his rise to the cusp of being named Pakistan's 19th Prime Minister has been meteoric. In a political sphere which has long been dominated by the wealthy Bhutto and Sharif families, this marks the dawn of a new age in Pakistan. This religiously conservative country will view Khan's success as a symbol of the end of corruption and cronyism, and hopes will be highly pinned on the new leader to hit the ground running. 2.19pm update: Pakistanis react to Khan's victory speech While Pakistan takes in the long-awaited results of the general election, people are beginning to react. The tone is mostly positive, if a little cautious. Pakistan election: Reactions are beginning to come in Pakistan election: People tweet their reactions Pakistan election: Reactions are cautiously positive Kate Whitfield taking overlive reporting from Vickiie Oliphant 1.26pm update: I thank Allah for this victory, says Imran Khan Khan addressed the nation from his home in Banigala, on the outskirts of Islamabad. “Today, at this moment, I want all of Pakistan to unite,” he said. “My government will not take vengeful action against anyone.” Imran Khan claimed victory this afternoon 1.19pm update: BREAKING - Imran Khan claims victory in press conference as PTI party leads He told reporters: "I came into politics 22 years ago because I believe that the potential of our country was not being realised. “The Pakistan that I saw growing up deteriorated in front of my very eyes.<doc-sep>Imran Khan’s PTI is in the lead for Pakistan’s National Assembly seats, according to unofficial results. The entire process suffered a set-back when the Election Commission’s electronic system developed a glitch that led to a two-hour delay in the announcement of the results on Wednesday night, July 25. The PPP, MQM and PML-N have all held press conferences, saying that there were irregularities. Analysts said it would not be surprising if protests would be the next step. The Karachi Stock Exchange rose by 750 points as the results began pouring in July 26. There are 272 seats in the National Assembly but polling was done on 270 seats because polling was delayed in two. The Election Commission of Pakistan will release the official results much later. An earlier version of this story had results as they were emerging. They were not exit poll results as SAMAA TV ran them. This story has been updated with the official ECP results on Friday. NA-1: Chitral: Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali of the MMA has won with 48,616 votes. NA-2 Swat-I: Haider Ali Khan of the PTI has won with 61,687 votes. NA-3: Swat: Saleem Rehman of the PTI has won with 68,162 votes. NA-4: Swat: Murad Saeed of the PTI has won with 71,600 votes. NA-5: Upper Dir: Sahibzada Sibghatullah of the PTI has won with 66,545 votes. NA-6: Lower Dir: Mehboob Shah of the PTI has won with 63,440 votes. NA-7: Lower Dir: Muhammad Bashir Khan of the PTI has won with 63,017 votes. NA-8: Malakand: Junaid Akbar of the PTI has won with 81,310 votes. NA-9: Buner: Sher Akbar Khan of the PTI has won with 58,037 votes. NA-10: Shangla: Ibadullah Khan of the PML-N has won with 34,070 votes. NA-11: Kohistan: Afreen Khan of the MMA has won with 15,859 votes. NA-12: Battgram: Muhammad Nawaz Khan of the PTI has won with 34,270 votes. NA-13: Mansehra: Independent candidate Saleh Muhammad has won with 109,262 votes. NA-14: (Mansehra-Tor Ghar): Muhammad Sajjad of the PML-N has won with 74,889 votes. NA-15: Abbottabad: Murtaza Javed Abbasi of the PML-N has won with 95,340 votes. NA-16: Abbottabad: Ali Khan Jadoon of the PTI has won with 85,203 votes. NA-17: Haripur: Omar Ayub Khan of the PTI has won with 172,609 votes. NA-18: Swabi: Asad Qaiser of the PTI has won with 78,970 votes. NA-19: Usman Khan of the PTI has won with 83903 votes. NA-20: Mujahid Ali of the PTI has won with 78140 votes. NA-21: Amir Haider Azam Khan of the ANP has won with 78911 votes. NA-22: Ali Muhammad of the PTI has won with 58577 votes. NA-23: Anwar Taj of the PTI has won with 59371 votes. NA-24: Fazal Muhammad Khan of the PTI has won with 83495 votes. NA-25: Pervez Khattak of the PTI has won with 82118 votes. NA-26: Imran Khattak of the PTI has won with 90256 votes. NA-27: Noor Alam Khan of the PTI has won with 71158 votes. NA-28: Arbab Amir Ayub of the PTI has won with 74414 votes. NA-29: Nasir Khan of the PTI has won with 49762 votes. NA-30: Sher Ali Arbab of the PTI has won with 73781 votes. NA-31: Shaukat Ali (s/o) Liaqat Ali of the PTI has won with 87895 votes. NA-32: Results are awaited. Kohat Shehryar Afridi of the PTI was leading over the MMA’s Gohar Muhammad in initial and unofficial results. NA-33: Khial Zaman of the PTI has won with 28819 votes. NA-34: Shahid Ahmad of the PTI has won with 77181 votes. NA-35: Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi of the PTI has won with 113822 votes. NA-36: Muhammad Anwar of the MMA has won with 91065 votes. NA-37 Tank: Results are awaited. At last count, MMA’s Asad Mehmood was leading against independent Dawar Khan Kundi… NA-38: Ali Amin Khan of the PTI has won with 80236 votes. NA-39: Muhammad Yaqoob Sheikh of the PTI has won with 79334 votes. NA-40: Gul Dad Khan of the PTI has won with 34616 votes. NA-41: Gul Zafar Khan of the PTI has won with 22730 votes. NA-42: Sajid Khan of the PTI has won with 22717 votes. NA-43: Noor Ul Haq Al Qadri of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaniat has won with 33243 votes. NA-44: Mohammad Iqbal Khan of the PTI has won with 12537 votes. NA-45: Munir Khan Orakzai of the MMA has won with 16353 votes. NA-46: Sajid Hussain Turi of the PPP has won with 21461 votes. NA-47: Jawad Hussain of the PTI has won with 11102 votes. NA-48: Independent candidate Mohsin Javed has won with 16496 votes. NA-49: Muhammad Jamal Ud Din of the MMA has won with 7794 votes. NA-50: Independent candidate Muhammad Ali has won with 23530 votes. NA-51: Abdul Shakoor of the MMA has won with 21896 votes. NA-52: Raja Khurram Shahzad Nawaz of the PTI has won with 64690 votes. NA-53: Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi of the PTI has won with 92891 votes. NA-54: Asad Umer of the PTI has won with 56945 votes. NA-55: Tahir Sadiq of the PTI has won with 145168 votes. NA-56: Tahir Sadiq of the PTI has won with 163325 votes. NA-57: Sadaqat Ali Khan of the PTI has won with 136249 votes. NA-58: Raja Pervaiz Ashraf of the PPP has won with 125090 votes. NA-59: Ghulam Sarwar Khan of the PTI has won with 89055 votes. NA-60: Postponed. NA-61: Aamir Mehmood Kiani of the PTI has won with 105,000 votes. NA-62: Sheikh Rashid Ahmed of the AML has won with 117719 votes. NA-63: Ghulam Sarwar Khan of the PTI has won with 100986 votes. NA-64: Zulfiqar Ali Khan of the PTI has won with 155214 votes. NA-65: Parvez Elahi of the PML-Q has won with 157497 votes. NA-66: Chaudhry Farrukh Altaf of the PTI has won with 112356 votes. NA-67: Fawad Ahmed of the PTI has won with 93102 votes. NA-68: Hussain Elahi of the PML-Q has won with 104678 votes. NA-69: Parvez Elahi of the PML-Q has won with 122336 votes. NA-70: Syed Faiz ul Hassan of the PTI has won with 95168 votes. NA-71: Chaudhry Abid Raza of the PML-N has won with 88588 votes. NA-72: Chaudhry Armghan Subhani of the PML-N has won with 129041 votes. NA-73: Khawaja Muhammad Asif of the PML-N has won with 116957 votes. NA-74: Ali Zahid of the PML-N has won with 97235 votes. NA-75: Syed Iftikhar Ul Hassan of the PML-N has won with 101617 votes. NA-76: Rana Shamim Ahmed Khan of the PML-N has won with 133664 votes. NA-77: Mehnaz Akber Aziz of the PML-N has won with 106366 votes. NA-78: Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary of the PML-N has won with 159651 votes. NA-79: Nisar Ahmed Cheema of the PML-N has won with 142545 votes. NA-80: Chaudhry Mehmood Bashir Virk of the PML-N has won with 108653 votes. NA-81: Khurram Dastgir Khan of the PML-N has won with 130837 votes. NA-82: Usman Ibrahim (s/o) Muhammad Ibrahim of the PML-N has won with 117520 votes. NA-83: Zulfiqar Ahmad of the PML-N has won with 139235 votes. NA-84: Azhar Qayyum Nahra of the PML-N has won with 119612 votes. NA-85: Haji Imtiaz Ahmed Choudhary of the PTI has won with 99996 votes. NA-86: Nasir Iqbal Bosal of the PML-N has won with 147105 votes. NA-87: Ch. Shoukat Ali Bhatti of the PTI has won with 165618 votes. NA-88: Mukhtar Ahmad Malik of the PML-N has won with 129615 votes. NA-89: Mohsin Nawaz Ranjha of the PML-N has won with 114245 votes. NA-90: Ch. Muhammad Hamid Hameed of the PML-N has won with 93948 votes. NA-91: Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti of the PML-N has won with 110525 votes. NA-92: Syed Javed Husnain of the PML-N has won with 97013 votes. NA-93: Umar Aslam Khan of the PTI has won with 100448 votes. NA-94: Malik Muhammad Ehsan Ullah Tiwana of the PTI has won with 93864 votes. NA-95: Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi of the PTI has won with 163538 votes. NA-96: AMJID ALI KHAN of the PTI has won with 157422 votes. NA-97: Independent candidate MUHAMMAD SANA ULLAH KHAN MASTI KHEL has won with 120729 votes. NA-98: Muhammad Afzal Khan of the PTI has won with 138307 votes. NA-99: GHULAM MUHAMMAD of the PTI has won with 81330 votes.<doc-sep>Pakistan's 5 Biggest Post-Election Challenges Pakistan's next government will face myriad challenges, from unsustainable population growth to simmering extremism, all complicated by the decades-long tussle between civilian and military leadership. No matter who is voted into office after today's polls, the new rulers will have to make hard choices, and quickly. Here is a rundown of the biggest hurdles Pakistan is facing: - Terrorism - Pakistan has been battling terrorism which has originated from its own soil. Over the years, it has become a victim of its own creation. While terror originating from Pakistan is a massive threat to the rest of the world, security within the country has improved in recent times. Analysts, however, have long warned that Pakistan is not tackling the root causes of extremism, and terrorists can still carry out attacks at will. That includes during this election season, with a string of bombings at political events killing more than 180 people, including the second-deadliest terror attack in Pakistan's history. Analysts have warned that terrorists may be regrouping and seeking to reassert themselves after years of setbacks. - Economy - Pakistan's next government faces growing fears of a balance of payments crisis, with speculation mounting it will have to seek its second bailout in five years from the International Monetary Fund. The central bank is burning through foreign exchange reserves and devaluing the Pakistani rupee, including another five-percent dive this month, in a bid to bridge a widening trade deficit. Pakistan, which has long relied heavily on imports, increased its procurement of materials to help build a string of Chinese-backed infrastructure projects under a multi-billion-dollar investment package with Beijing. The terms of the projects are opaque, leading to fears about Islamabad's ability to pay for them. The economy has also been stung by higher oil prices. Meanwhile, meagre exports such as textiles have taken a hit from cheaper products by regional competitors, including China, while foreign remittances -- a major contributor to the economy -- have also slowed. The winner of the election will have "limited time" to act, Fitch ratings agency warned earlier this month. - Population growth - Conservative Pakistan, with its limited family planning, has one of the highest birth rates in Asia at around three children per woman, according to the World Bank and government figures. That has led to a fivefold increase of the population since 1960, now touching 207 million, draft results from last year's census show. The boom is negating hard-won economic and social progress in the developing country, experts have warned. To add to the problem, discussing contraception in public is taboo in Pakistan. Analysts say unless more is done to slow growth, the country's natural resources -- particularly drinking water -- will not be enough to support the population. - Water shortages - Pakistan is on the verge of an ecological disaster if authorities do not urgently address looming water shortages, experts say. Official estimates show that by 2025 the country will be facing an "absolute scarcity" of water, with less than 500 cubic metres available per person -- just one-third of the water available in parched Somalia, according to the UN. Pakistan has just three major water storage basins, compared with more than a thousand in South Africa or Canada. As such, any surplus water is quickly lost. Political initiative will be essential to building infrastructure to reverse the course of the impending crisis. There is also little in the way of public education on water conservation. - Civil-military relations - Pakistan has spent roughly half its nearly 70-year history under military rule, and the imbalance of power in between civilian governments and the armed forces has long been seen as an impediment to democracy and progress. Hope surged in 2013 as the country saw its first-ever transition of power from one democratically-elected government to another. But since then, experts have warned of a "creeping coup", fuelled by tensions between the generals and the government of three-time premier Nawaz Sharif, largely attributed to his desire to assert civilian supremacy and seek warmer relations with India. Nawaz Sharif, ousted in 2017 and arrested for corruption earlier this month, says he and his party are being targeted by the military. Activists and several prominent journalists have also accused the military of trying to install a pliant civilian government through pressure on politicians and the media. It denies the allegations. The next government will be tasked with meeting the country's challenges without upsetting this delicate balance of power. (Courtesy: AFP)<doc-sep>
Pakistan’s general election has been plunged into chaos after the incumbent Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) said it would reject the result amid widespread allegations that the military was rigging the ballot in favour of the party led by the former cricketer Imran Khan. With only a third of the vote counted by 3am – an hour after the result was officially due – Khan’s Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led in 110 seats, with the PMLN trailing on 68. Results continued to trickle in slowly on Thursday, hours after Khan’s supporters took to the streets to celebrate victory. Election authorities have not yet confirmed when they expect to announce the results. Some reports suggested it would not be until Thursday evening at the earliest. More than a dozen domestic TV channels projected that the PTI would get as many as 119 seats out of a total 272 in the lower-house, exceeding expectations and delivering the role of prime minister to Khan for the first time. Quick Guide Pakistan elections: who are three main parties? Show Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Also known as the Justice party, it is led by the former cricketer Imran Khan, and has had some success at provincial level but has never been able to convert it into national power. Khan has been accused both of lacking a coherent political philosophy and of sympathising with extremists. He has described the Taliban’s fight in Afghanistan as a holy war, and accused “liberals” who support Nato’s war on the group of being “thirsty for blood”. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Hopes to win control of parliament again, even though its leader, Nawaz Sharif, is in prison for corruption. Tried and sentenced in absentia, he returned to the country this month to serve his sentence, hoping to revitalise the campaign before the election. Now led by Sharif’s brother Shahbaz, the party is focusing on its economic success and promises of energy and infrastructure investment from China. However, efforts to increase tax revenues have faltered. Pakistan People’s party (PPP) Led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, son of the assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. The party lost ground after Benazir was killed in 2007 but the family name still carries considerable weight. The third-generation leader appears to be playing a long game, rebuilding support in its heartland with an eye on future elections. If it does well in this vote, the PPP could potentially serve as a junior partner in a coalition. Photograph: Aamir Qureshi/AFP Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), an independent body, blamed the delay in announcing the result on a breakdown in the Results Transmission Software it purchased from a British company. “There’s no conspiracy, nor any pressure in delay of the results,” the ECP secretary, Babar Yaqoob, told reporters. “The delay is being caused because the result transmission system has collapsed.” But Shehbaz Sharif, the leader of the PMLN, said his party “wholly rejects” the result of the election, telling a press conference that his party’s polling agents had been evicted from dozens of stations by security officials before a final tally was reached, leaving them unable to monitor potential tampering. “The mandate of millions of people who came out to vote has been humiliated. Our democratic process has been pushed back by decades,” said Sharif. The PMLN, which tried to curb the power of the military while in office, has claimed for months that the establishment was “engineering” the vote against it. The party’s former leader Nawaz Sharif, who on 13 July began a legally-dubious 10-year prison sentence for corruption, has accused the deputy head of the country’s all-powerful ISI spy agency of leadinga campaign against the PMLN. He said it included pressure on its candidates to defect, a spate of court cases and the silencing of supportive media channels. Supporters of Imran Khan, who is head of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, celebrate on a street during general election in Islamabad. Photograph: Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty Images As election workers sorted through massive piles of paper ballots, almost all the parties – except the PTI – alleged that their polling agents had been excluded from polling stations. Bilawal Bhutto, the leader of the liberal Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) – the country’s third-largest party – tweeted it was “inexcusable and outrageous” that his activists had been excluded “across the country”. It’s now past midnight & I haven’t received official results from any constituency I am contesting my myself.