Pakistani cricket hero-turned-politician Imran Khan’s Tehreek-i-Insaf is all set to emerge as the single largest party, trends showed on Wednesday, as the party of his jailed chief rival, ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, rejected the count as “blatantly” rigged. With just 42 percent of the total vote counted till around 5am, the Election Commission of Pakistan had Khan's PTI leading in 113 of 272 contested National Assembly constituencies. Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was ahead in 66 constituencies, and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), led by the son of assassinated two-time Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, led in 39 constituencies. An official at the Election Commission said early on Thursday that final results had been delayed by technical failures. As most of the political parties dismissed the results over alleged rigging, the delay gave further fuel to their charges. Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan Sardar Raza Khan called a press conference at four in the morning to dispel the allegations. He said that the delay was purely technical in nature. "There's no conspiracy, nor any pressure in delay of the results. The delay is being caused because the result transmission system has collapsed," secretary Babar Yaqoob told reporters. Imran Khan's camp was increasingly confident of winning the election, although it still appeared likely to fall short of the 137 seats needed for a majority in the National Assembly, raising the prospect it would need to find coalition partners among smaller parties and independents. Khan's party spokesman, Fawad Chaudhry, tweeted "Congratulations to the nation on a new Pakistan! Prime Minister Imran Khan", although his party has officially held off on declaring victory. Wednesday's voting was marred by a suicide bombing that killed 31 people near a polling station in Quetta, capital of the southwestern province of Baluchistan. Islamic State claimed responsibility. OPPONENTS CRY FOUL PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif has outrightly rejected the election results and hinted his party would launch protests against the alleged rigging of polls. "Some five other parties including PPP have raised the rigging issue in polls. After consulting them, I will announce the future course of action. Pakistan has suffered today," he told journalists at a press conference at midnight. "We will fight this injustice and use all options." Sharif termed it the dirtiest election in Pakistan's history. "This is a horrible situation which I have never seen in my 30-year political career. These were the dirtiest polls in Pakistan's history," he said. PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb raised objections over the counting process and alleged that her party's agents were forced out from several polling stations. "The counting process is being carried out behind closed doors and changes are being made to Form-45," she told reporters. According to Election Commision of Pakistan website, the first Form 45 is the Result of the Count' showing the number of valid votes for each contesting candidate and ballot papers excluded from the count. Supporters of Imran Khan celebrate near his residence in Bani Gala in Islamabad on Wednesday. PPP's Maula Bux Chandio also claimed that his party's agents were not allowed inside polling stations in Badin while Pak Sarzameen Party leader Raza Haroon made the same claim about the treatment meted out to their agents at different polling stations across Karachi. Thursday's election results will mark only the second civilian transfer of power in Pakistan's 71-year history. Campaigning too was plagued for months by allegations that the powerful armed forces have been trying to tilt the race in Khan's favour after falling out with the outgoing ruling party of Sharif, who was jailed on corruption charges this month. The PML-N had sought to cast the election as a referendum on democracy, and has said it was campaigning to protect the "sanctity of the vote", a reference to a history of political interference by the military. About 371,000 soldiers have been stationed at polling stations across the country, nearly five times the number deployed at the last election in 2013. The PML-N and the PPP both said their monitors in many voting centres had not received the official notifications of the precinct's results, but instead got hand-written tallies that they could not verify. 'WE WILL TAKE ACTION' Election official Yaqoob promised that all formal complaints would be investigated. "If there are certain polling stations where they have any complaints, we should be approached. We will take action," Yaqoob said. But he said he had no knowledge of widespread problems. "We're getting complaints that on some polling stations where certain parties are losing, their polling agents are leaving without taking the verified results," he said. Khan has staunchly denied allegations by PML-N that he is getting help from the military, which has ruled Pakistan for about half of its history and still sets key security and foreign policy in the nuclear-armed nation. The army has also dismissed allegations of meddling in the election. Pakistan's new government will face a mounting and urgent in-tray, from a brewing economic crisis to worsening relations with on-off ally the United States to deepening cross-country water shortages. An anti-corruption crusader, Khan has promised an "Islamic welfare state" and cast his populist campaign as a battle to topple a predatory political elite hindering development in the impoverished mostly-Muslim nation of 208 million people, where the illiteracy rate hovers above 40 percent. If Khan's lead holds, his party will likely be able to form a government with smaller parties and independents, avoiding the prospect of weeks of haggling. Such a delay could further imperil Pakistan's economy, with a looming currency crisis expected to force the new government to turn to the IMF for Pakistan's second bailout since 2013. PTI has not ruled out seeking succour from China, Islamabad's closest ally.<doc-sep>LAHORE, Pakistan — The party of Imran Khan, a former Pakistani cricket star, pulled firmly ahead in the early count after Wednesday’s elections, but the results were disputed by dozens of candidates who lodged complaints of vote rigging. Mr. Khan, 65, is the country’s most dynamic politician, and many believe that Pakistan’s influential military has been helping his campaign by intimidating, blackmailing and impeding his political rivals. He has railed against the United States’ counterterrorism policy in the region. Mr. Khan’s party was leading in 110 constituencies while the party in second place maintained a lead in 67 constituencies, according to reports by Pakistani state-run television stations, with about half of the votes counted by 3 a.m. on Thursday. The partial results were unofficial, the television station said. That left Mr. Khan’s party still short of a majority in Parliament that he needs to claim victory outright. There are 272 contested seats in Pakistan’s parliamentary system. Any party that hopes to form a majority and appoint a prime minister needs to command a coalition of at least 137 seats.<doc-sep>Good morning, dear reader! Here’s your morning news and views brief for today. Imran Khan Likely To Be Pakistan’s Next Prime Minister In an election marked by large scale rigging by the Pakistan Army, cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan is leading in the early phase of vote counting. With 30 per cent of the total vote counted, Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party is leading in 113 of 272 National Assembly seats. The party of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), is ahead in 66 seats. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), led by Bilawal Bhutto, the son of assassinated two-time prime minister Benazir Bhutto, has taken led in 39 constituencies. Sharif’s PML-N, along with Bhutto’s PPP and other regional outfits, has rejected the result as "blatantly" rigged. The PPP has alleged that the vote-count was being manipulated. There were widespread concerns during the election campaign about manipulation by the army, and it did not disappoint. Dip In Foreign Funds For NGOs After Government Crackdown Amid a crackdown on Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) not adhering to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, funding received by NGOs and associations from outside India has declined to Rs 15,329 crore in 2016-17 from Rs 17,799 crore in 2015-16. In 2014-15, foreign funding stood at Rs 15,305 crore. In the last few years, the number of NGOs and association with valid FCRA licences has come down from more than 40,000 in 2014-15 to 24,000 at present. Registration of over 13,000 NGOs has been cancelled in the last three years for violations of FCRA provisions, Junior Home Minister Kiren Rijiju said. Parliament Passes Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill 2018 Parliament on Wednesday passed the Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill 2018. The bill is aimed at economic offenders like Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi, who have fled the country to evade the legal process. The Lok Sabha had cleared it on 19 July. It seeks to target fugitives for offences exceeding Rs 100 crore. The bill empowers authorities to attach and confiscate properties and assets of economic offenders like loan defaulters who flee the country. If a person is a declared offender, his property will be confiscated and disposed of. The Enforcement Directorate will be the investigative agency under the Act. Liquid Water Lake Discovered On Mars Researchers have found evidence of the presence of a giant lake of liquid water buried beneath the ice near the Mars’ south pole. This is the first time such evidence has been found on the Red Planet. Earlier, exploration by NASA’s Curiosity had shown that water was present on the surface of Mars in the past. Now, an Italian team, using a ground-penetrating radar on an orbiting spacecraft, has detected signs of a 20-kilometre-wide lake, 1.5 kilometres under the ice cap. They have published their observations in Science. Given its location beneath the polar ice cap, the water is expected to be below the freezing point. However, experts have not been able to confirm these findings. India-US To Sign Military Pack During The ‘2+2’ Meeting During the inaugural 2+2 meeting, in which External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will hold talks with their American counterparts, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defence James Mattis, India and the US will sign the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), a pact for secure military communications. COMCASA will give India access to sophisticated communications systems used by the US and its allies. Platforms such as Boeing P-8 Poseidon, procured from the US in the past, are equipped with commercially available communication systems instead of those secured under COMCASA. The pack would facilitate “interoperability” between US and Indian armed forces. MUST READ OPINIONS AND COLUMNS Iran Can’t Issue Threats To Seek India’s Help: Despite all the hype, India’s stakes in Iran are quite limited. The economic link is nothing much to write about. Menstruating Deities And Cultural Illiteracy: Campaigns at all levels must be held to check the erosion of cultural literacy and Indic spirituality. SWARAJYA SPECIAL Low-Cost Homes: Why A Viable Business Model Is The Way Forward: Low-cost housing remains a distant dream as small developers face several challenges. Here’s how these projects can be made economically viable. We hope you enjoyed reading our morning brief. Have a great day ahead!<doc-sep>
Cricket hero-turned-politician Imran Khan leads in early vote counting in Pakistan's general election, as the party of his jailed chief rival, ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, rejected the eventual result as "blatantly" rigged. Key points: Four TV channels put Khan's party ahead in early projections Four TV channels put Khan's party ahead in early projections Full results expected later today Full results expected later today Main opposition party "totally rejects result" With 30 per cent of the total vote counted, the Election Commission of Pakistan had Mr Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party leading in 113 of 272 contested National Assembly constituencies. Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was ahead in 66 constituencies, and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), led by the son of assassinated two-time prime minister Benazir Bhutto, led in 39 constituencies. An official at the Election Commission said early today that final results had been delayed by technical failures. "There's no conspiracy, nor any pressure in delay of the results," secretary Babar Yaqoob said. "The delay is being caused because the result transmission system has collapsed." Pakistani politician Imran Khan, chief of Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Insaf party, casts his vote. ( AP: Anjum Naveed Projections from four local TV channels also put Mr Khan's party ahead, estimating it would win between 107 and 120 seats. Full results are expected later today. Mr Khan's party spokesman, Fawad Chaudhry, showed confidence as the early projections were broadcast, saying in a tweet: "Congratulations to the nation on a new Pakistan! Prime Minister Imran Khan." Sorry, this video has expired Brother of ousted Pakistan prime minister rejects election results as 'blatant rigging' Sharif's brother Shehbaz, who now leads the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), rejected the count after complaints soldiers stationed in polling stations had thrown out political parties' monitors during the tabulations. Ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif (above) has been jailed — so his brother has been running the campaign. ( AP: B.K. Bangash "It is a sheer rigging. The way the people's mandate has blatantly been insulted, it is intolerable," Shehbaz told a media conference as the counting continued. "We totally reject this result. It is a big shock to Pakistan's democratic process." Wednesday's election will be only the second civilian transfer of power in Pakistan's 71-year history. But campaigning has been plagued for months by allegations the powerful armed forces have been trying to tilt the race in Mr Khan's favour after falling out with the outgoing ruling party of Sharif, who was jailed on corruption charges this month. About 371,000 soldiers have been stationed at polling stations across the country, nearly five times the number deployed at the last election in 2013. Imran Khan has promised an "Islamic welfare state". ( Reuters: Akhtar Soomro 'Blatant, callous, shameless rigging' Wednesday's voting was marred by a suicide bombing that killed 31 people near a polling station in Quetta, capital of the south-western province of Baluchistan. A man is taken away for treatment after the blast in Quetta. ( AP: Arshad Butt The Islamic State group claimed responsibility. During the count, outgoing PML-N defence minister Khurram Dastgir-Khan tweeted that official result forms were not given at hundreds of polling stations, decrying what he called "blatant, callous, shameless rigging". The third major party, the Pakistan Peoples Party, also complained that its polling agents were asked to leave during the vote count in a number of voting centres. "This is the warning bell of a serious threat," PPP senator Sherry Rehman said. "This whole election could be null and void, and we don't want this." About 106 million people are registered to vote in polls due to close at 6:00pm (local time). ( AP: B.K. Bangash Several smaller parties made similar complaints in public statements. Whichever party wins, it will face a mounting list of urgent issues, from a brewing economic crisis to worsening relations with on-off ally the United States to deepening cross-country water shortages. An anti-corruption crusader, Mr Khan has promised an "Islamic welfare state" and cast his populist campaign as a battle to topple a predatory political elite hindering development in the impoverished mostly-Muslim country of 208 million people, where the illiteracy rate hovers above 40 per cent. "This is the most important election in Pakistan's history," Mr Khan, 65, said after casting his vote in the capital, Islamabad. "I ask everyone today — be a citizen, cherish this country, worry about this country, use your vote." Sorry, this video has expired Pakistan's election explained. ( Girish Sawlani ) Reuters