A candidate linked to jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party is leading ahead of two dynastic parties believed to be backed by the military in Pakistan's general election, which has entered its final stages of vote counting. .
In an AI-generated “victory speech” posted on social media platform He said it was a “landslide victory”. What he calls party repression.
Khan's PTI candidates were forced to run as independents after being barred from using the party's symbol, a cricket bat, to help illiterate voters find the party symbol on their ballots. Ta.
Almost 12 hours after polls concluded for the national and provincial assemblies on Thursday, election results began to trickle in, with PTI-aligned candidates leading by a narrow margin, and Pakistan Muslim League (PMLN) and Pakistan People's Party (PPP). ) candidates followed.
Independent candidates, mostly backed by the PTI, have so far won 99 of the 266 seats in parliament. PMLN won 69 seats and PPP 52 seats. About 24 more seats are still to be won.
Meanwhile, Nawaz Sharif, another former prime minister who heads the PMLN, said he would seek to form a coalition government after his party fell behind independent candidates backed by Khan.
Earlier, Sharif had declared victory in the election during vote counting.
However, he later backtracked and said, “We do not have a sufficient majority to form a government without the support of other countries.We invite our allies to join us in a coalition government so that we can make a joint effort to get Pakistan out of trouble.'' ” he said.
Sharif said he would approach the PPP of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, son of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, as a coalition partner.
He also added that he wants to sit in coordination with other political parties to “transform” Pakistan.
“Made history”
In his AI speech, Khan accused the PMLN leader of being “narrow-minded” and added: “No Pakistani will accept him or his claims of victory.”
He told voters: “My fellow Pakistanis, you have made history. I am proud of you and I thank God for uniting the country.”
Chairman Imran Khan's victory speech (AI version) after the people's unprecedented counterattack that led to PTI's landslide victory in the 2024 general elections. pic.twitter.com/Z6GiLwCVCR
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) February 9, 2024
The vote in Pakistan came just over a week after Mr. Khan, who has been in prison since August, faced consecutive sentencing in several cases that he claims were politically motivated.
Last month, the 71-year-old former leader was sentenced to 14 years in prison, his longest sentence yet, for corruption in a case related to the sale of state gifts he received while prime minister. The day before he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for leaking state secrets.
Their lead in the election was a surprise to many, as Mr. Khan is in jail and PTI members face a crackdown.
Maya Tudor, an associate professor at Oxford University's Blavatnik School of Government, told Al Jazeera that it would be noteworthy if a PTI-backed candidate wins this election, but the road ahead is difficult.
“Economic instability, conflict on nearly every border, and soaring inflation are felt every day by ordinary Pakistanis,” Tudor said.
“Political Engineering”
Thursday's election was marred by violence by armed groups, and a widely criticized suspension of mobile phone services also prompted accusations of “political engineering”.
Al Jazeera's Ased Baig, reporting from the city of Lahore early Friday, said people were openly talking on the streets that the vote was rigged.
“Some of the forms that are coming out of these polling stations show that there are in fact discrepancies, and that there are some differences between people and their vote in terms of reflecting who they voted for. “There's a real fear that if people don't respect that, then that discontent will explode and we'll end up with the kind of streets we've already seen in some places,” Baig said.
He added that two people were reportedly killed and 20 injured in violence over election results in northwest Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP) announced protests across Balochistan against the election results, with party chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai accusing the 2024 polls of being rigged. Al Jazeera's Sadullah Akhter reported.
The long delay in the start of voting also made people anxious.
Muhammad Hussain, 67, said voting at a particular polling station in Karachi's Malir area did not begin until 3pm, seven hours after the scheduled start time.
“We voted for change. But looking at how things are going, it seems that is not the case,” he told Al Jazeera.
Several countries, including the United States and Britain, have called on authorities to investigate reported irregularities in Pakistan's general election, where final vote counting is still underway.
The final tally is expected late Friday night.
