Islamabad, July 26: Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was on Wednesday in a clear lead while its main rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of Shehbaz Sharif was second in the initial rounds of counting in an election marred by a deadly suicide attack in Quetta that left 31 dead and allegations of manipulation by the powerful military.
Khan’s security was stepped up and additional force deployed around his house as PTI emerged as the single largest party in the initial trends.
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) of Bilawal Bhutto was third. It could well play a “kingmaker” in case of a hung parliament, said media reports.
The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), an alliance of traditional religious parties Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan and Tehreek-e-Jafaria, was ahead on a couple of seats.
PML-N chief Shahbaz Sharif, who is hoping to become the next PM, was leading in NA-249 (Karachi West-II). PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was leading in NA-200 (Larkana I).
According to the Election Commission of Pakiatan (ECP), 3,459 candidates are in the race for 272 general seats of the National Assembly, while 8,396 candidates are running for 577 general seats of the four provincial assemblies — Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. More than 30 political parties have fielded their candidates.
In the Punjab assembly, PML-N and PTI were in a neck-and-neck fight, according to trends.
Source Tribune India
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