The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on July 26 finally revealed the official results of 251 of the 270 National Assembly (NA) seats and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) is in the leaf with 110 seats, reports Daily Times. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) currently has a total of 63 seats in the Parliament while Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has 42 seats. The alliance of the religious parties, Muttahida Majis-e-Amal (MMA) were able to get 10 seats in the NA. However, the secular nationalist parties, Balochistan Nationalist Party (BNP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) were able to bag only two seats each. Sindh’s Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) which was dubbed as a “puppet” alliance by the PPP, after all the commotion has only managed to win 2 seats in the NA. The Awami Muslim League (AML) led by the much controversial Sheikh Rasheed and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaniat were also only able to win one seat each. Currently, there are around 12 seats in the NA which have been won by independent candidates.
Meanwhile, PTI chief Imran Khan claimed victory in the country´s tense general election marred by allegations of "blatant" rigging by rival parties, reports The News. "We were successful and we were given a mandate," Khan said during a live broadcast from his home in the capital Islamabad, adding that there would be "no politician victimisation" of his opponents in the future. He went on to call the elections the "most transparent" in the country´s history. During the broadcast, Khan vowed to tackle corruption that was "eating our country like a cancer" and touched on promises to balance relations with the US that would be "beneficial" for both countries. Khan also said he was open to a sit-down with arch-rival India to discuss ongoing disputes in Kashmir.
However, PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif, while addressing a press conference in Lahore expressed strong reservations over the polling process, saying his party doesn't accept the preliminary results shared by the ECP, reports Dawn. "I am forced to say that we completely reject these results," he declared, alleging that there has been a "blatant violation of public's mandate".