Pakistan election live: Section 144 curfew in Islamabad as Imran Khan’s PTI takes lead

Results from over half the constituencies in Pakistan are in and independent candidates backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan have won the most seats so far.

Of the 136 seats that have declared as of Friday evening, of a total 235 contested, 49 seats were won by independent candidates backed by Khan’s PTI party, a Reuters tally of results declared by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) showed.

Trailing closely in second was former premier Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with 42, while the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of assassinated premier Benazir Bhutto, have 34.

Almost 24 hours have passed since the Election Commission announced the end of voting. Initially expected in the small hours of Friday morning, the results have been unusually delayed, as the authorities blamed technical issues for the delay.

As candidates backed by former prime minister Imran Khan’s party have taken a shocking lead, Maya Tudor, associate professor at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford believes a win for PTI-backed candidates would be remarkable.

“A win would be remarkable. The odds were stacked against Khan. The military used every tool in the toolbox to weaken the power of the PTI party, from banning their cricket bat symbol to an internet blackout on voting day,” she was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.

“But even if PTI-backed candidates can win, the road ahead is rocky. A shaky economy, conflict on almost every border, and soaring inflation, which is being felt everyday by ordinary Pakistanis.

“If there is no clear winner, the uncertainty will add to these woes.”

The Lahore-based Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has said it “deplores” the delay in announcing the election results. In a statement posted on X, it said: “HRCP deplores the delay in announcement of #election results, which, under Rule 84 of the Election Rules, should have been communicated by the returning officers to the @ECP_Pakistan by 2 AM this morning and made public shortly thereafter.

“If, under the Rules, the returning officers had incomplete results by this time, they were legally bound to tell the ECP why, also indicating which vote counts were still awaited. This lack of transparency is deeply concerning. Moreover, we see no plausible reason to attribute this delay to any extraordinary circumstances that might justify it.”

At the moment, PTI-backed independents are in the lead with PML-N and PPP close behind.

Baqir Sajjad, Pakistan fellow at the Washington-based Wilson Center think tank, wrote on X: “What’s happening in Pakistan with election results is unfortunate. The escalation of discontent does not paint a promising picture for the country’s future. It’s saddening to witness deliberate efforts to intensify these feelings for petty interests.”

Despite a crackdown against one of its most popular parties and doubts over the role of the powerful military establishment, there is an air of anticipation regarding Pakistan’s election. Arpan Rai reports:

Pakistanis headed to the polls to elect a new parliament on Thursday in a race that essentially boils down to top few parties:

Pakistan’s minister of information, Murtaza Solangi said on Friday that internet services were not blocked in the country on 8 February despite cyber watchdogs claiming that mobile phone services and internet access were disrupted across the country on Thursday.

“The suspension of internet services was not introduced in Pakistan […] it has happened in the US, Britain and even our neighbouring country,” he stated. “No one has fought terrorism as much as we have,” he was quoted as saying by Dawn.

With results slowly trickling in, analysts say the past two years of political turmoil show the Pakistani military’s grip on power is as tight as ever. Shweta Sharma reports:

The Lahore-based Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has said it “deplores” the delay in announcing the election results. In a statement posted on X, it said: “HRCP deplores the delay in announcement of #election results, which, under Rule 84 of the Election Rules, should have been communicated by the returning officers to the @ECP_Pakistan by 2 AM this morning and made public shortly thereafter.

“If, under the Rules, the returning officers had incomplete results by this time, they were legally bound to tell the ECP why, also indicating which vote counts were still awaited. This lack of transparency is deeply concerning. Moreover, we see no plausible reason to attribute this delay to any extraordinary circumstances that might justify it.”

At the moment, PTI-backed independents are in the lead with PML-N and PPP close behind.

Baqir Sajjad, Pakistan fellow at the Washington-based Wilson Center think tank, wrote on X: “What’s happening in Pakistan with election results is unfortunate. The escalation of discontent does not paint a promising picture for the country’s future. It’s saddening to witness deliberate efforts to intensify these feelings for petty interests.”

As candidates backed by former prime minister Imran Khan’s party have taken a shocking lead, Maya Tudor, associate professor at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford believes a win for PTI-backed candidates would be remarkable.

“A win would be remarkable. The odds were stacked against Khan. The military used every tool in the toolbox to weaken the power of the PTI party, from banning their cricket bat symbol to an internet blackout on voting day,” she was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.

“But even if PTI-backed candidates can win, the road ahead is rocky. A shaky economy, conflict on almost every border, and soaring inflation, which is being felt everyday by ordinary Pakistanis.

“If there is no clear winner, the uncertainty will add to these woes.”

8 February’s Google Doodle depicts a ballot box with the Pakistan flag with a vote being posted for the next parliament:

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