Pakistan post-election crisis updates: Parleys, protests after tense vote
All the updates and analyses on the aftermath of the general election as they happened on Monday, February 12.
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- The final results of Pakistan’s national election put independents, backed by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, in the lead with 95 of 264 seats.
- The party of another ex-PM, Nawaz Sharif, was second with 75 seats after Thursday’s vote, lacking a clear majority but it was the largest single party.
- As coalition talks are held, protests have been called by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and several other parties over allegations of vote rigging.
- The final tally of votes was published by the election commission more than 60 hours after voting ended, raising questions over the delay.
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For a detailed analysis of the tense election and the resultant political crisis in Pakistan, please turn to this article.
Here’s what happened today
We will be closing this live page soon. Here’s a review of the day’s main events:
- Independent candidates backed by jailed ex-PM Imran Khan’s PTI party took most seats in Thursday’s election, with questions now being raised over whether they could form a party or join an existing party or coalition.
- Meanwhile, another ex-PM Nawaz Sharif’s PMLN – which won the largest number of seats after the independents – and the PPP of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari are holding alliance talks and wrangling over who would be the premier.
- To become PM, a candidate has to show they have a simple majority of 169 seats out of the 336-member National Assembly when it is called into session in the next few weeks.
- The political developments come amid nationwide protests over allegations of vote rigging and result manipulation after authorities switched off mobile phone networks on election day and the counting dragged on for more than two days.
- Analysts say there could be weeks of political uncertainty ahead in the country where the potential for violent protest – and a crackdown by the powerful military – is ever-present.
IPP founder Jahangir Tareen quits politics
Jahangir Khan Tareen, founder and chairperson of the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), has announced his retirement from politics.
Tareen, one of the richest industrialists in the country, joined the PTI in 2011 and became the party’s general secretary. He played a key role in PTI’s 2018 electoral success.
Tareen, who was once considered one of the closest aides to PTI leader Imran Khan, left the party formally in 2023 and founded IPP.
The IPP consisted of many politicians who had defected from PTI after the violent incidents of May 9 last year.
The IPP managed to win only two parliamentary seats, including one in a highly contentious manner. The PTI has filed a petition for recounting and reviewing the results.
I would like to thank everyone who supported me in this election and want to offer my congratulations to my opponents. I have immense respect for the will of the people of Pakistan. Therefore, I have decided to resign from my position as Chairman IPP and step away from politics…
— Jahangir Khan Tareen (@JahangirKTareen) February 12, 2024
Caretaker PM says election held in ‘free and fair manner’
Defending the vote amid allegations of rigging, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar says the government “did not have any institutional mechanism either in fear or favour of an entity, political group or individual”.
“But I agree that the future parliament should focus more on the electoral process, the system of balloting and rest of the issues affiliated with it. I personally feel we should have a more robust and financially independent election commission,” he said.
‘Will be very difficult for Khan and army to reconcile’
Farzana Sheikh, a specialist on Pakistani politics and economy, told Al Jazeera’s Inside Story that Imran Khan and army chief Asim Munir’s “dislike for one another is now pretty well established”.
This will likely make it “very difficult” to set aside Munir’s grievances, unless there is “there is real political will on the part of political parties” to put their heads together for dealing with the problems facing the country, said Sheikh.
At the same time, many of the cases against Khan have holes, and will go to higher courts where they may be put under more scrutiny, making his release from jail a possibility, noted Sheikh.
Photos: Supporters of Khan’s PTI block Peshawar-Islamabad highway
Uncertainty ahead as results challenged in court
Pakistan has weeks of political uncertainty ahead following its indecisive election, with dozens of constituency results facing challenges in court and rival parties negotiating possible coalitions.
Dozens of constituencies will have to have by-elections even without the results being challenged.
Several candidates won in multiple constituencies – a quirk allowed under Pakistan law – so they will have to choose one and have new elections in the others.
And party defections are also common, with at least one winning independent, who pledged loyalty to Imran Khan before the election, already announcing he was joining the PMLN. More are expected to follow.
Jailed PTI supporter granted bail
Social media influencer, Tayyaba Raja, who was imprisoned in May after protesting against the arrest of PTI leader Imran Khan has been granted bail by the Lahore High Court.
Raja’s lawyer announced the news in a post on X.
Raja’s father spoke to Al Jazeera about her arrest in a People and Power episode released Friday; watch here.
My Client #TayyabaRaja has been granted bail by the LHC. @22muradkhan
Alhumdulilah
— khadija siddiqi (@khadijasid751) February 12, 2024
How will Pakistan form its next government?
Following are some facts about the National Assembly and what is likely to play out in the days ahead:
- By law, the National Assembly, or the lower house of parliament, must be called by the president three weeks after the national election. It is usually called earlier.
- A new speaker of the house is then elected, and then they call for the election of the leader of the house, or prime minister, who must win a simple majority – 169 of the 336 seats.
- There can be multiple candidates for prime minister. If no candidate secures a majority in the first round, a second vote is held between the top two candidates. Voting will continue till one person is able to secure a majority.
- Once a prime minister is elected, they take an oath and announce the cabinet. The caretaker set-up that has been in place to oversee the elections then hands over power to the new government.
- Parties are allocated 70 reserved seats – 60 for women, 10 for non-Muslims – in proportion to the number of seats won. Independents are not eligible for reserved seats.
- If the independents want to gain reserved seats, they must join another party to form a bloc. The independents are running as such because Khan’s PTI was barred from these polls for breaching electoral laws.
Police file cases against PTI affiliates after rally: Report
A total of 62 PTI leaders and workers were booked by Rawalpindi police after a rally they held in the city on Sunday, reports Dawn.
The cases were registered under at least eight different sections of Pakistan’s Penal Code and Maintenance of Public Order ordinance.
Some of the violations noted refer to Section 147 (rioting) and Section 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of rupees 50).
Parliamentary election results
PMLN, PPP wrangle on who would be PM
Officials from both the PMLN and the PPP have said talks were snagged over which leader would take the country’s top job.
“Both sides are interested to form a coalition, but there is no breakthrough so far. Both parties want the office of prime minister,” a top PMLN leader close to the Sharifs told Reuters.
The PMLN has not named its prime ministerial candidate, but officials say the choice will be between Nawaz Sharif, 74, who was prime minister three times in the past, and his younger brother Shehbaz, 72, who held the post for 18 months until August last year.
The PPP has always maintained Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as its political scion, and if successful, the 35-year-old former foreign minister would become Pakistan’s youngest premier since his mother Benazir was in office.
“Our party wants Bilawal as prime minister,” PPP leader Faisal Kareem Kundi told Geo TV, adding that independents were joining his party. “No one can form a government without us.”
Who is Wasim Qadir who switched from PTI to PMLN?
At least six independents on national assembly seats have announced their decision to join PMLN, of which one of them is a PTI-aligned candidate, Wasim Qadir.
His decision has evoked strong reactions among the PTI faithful, who are calling it a “betrayal”.
PTI has also said that it will go to court for any candidate who switches allegiance from the party.
Qadir, 61, who contested the election from Lahore, was PTI’s general secretary in the city, and he won the constituency with a difference of 8,000 votes, beating a PMLN candidate.
He has earlier been part of the provincial assembly between 2008 and 2013, when he contested on the ticket of PMLN.
Qadir continued to remain part of the PMLN, before he made the switch to PTI in December 2018. In a video message posted after rejoining PMLN, Qadir said he is “back home”, and he will help development and progress of his area with the PMLN.
Election winner gives up seat alleging rigging
Jamaat-e-Islami leader Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman says he is giving up his provincial assembly seat in Karachi over alleged rigging.
In a news conference, Rehman said a “fraud [was] being done with the nation”. He said his PTI-backed opponent had actually won the seat.
“Candidate Saif Bari won in a genuine manner, but his votes were reduced [by the election commission],” he said.
In a post on X, Imran Khan’s PTI appreciated Rehman’s gesture and said the party expects similar honesty from other candidates.
Naya Pakistan! Respect for Jamat e Islami’s Hafiz Naeem Ur Rehman for this honorable decision of respecting the mandate. This will give strength to many others who were forced by regime to take fake mandate. https://t.co/1DV52NRsWC
— PTI (@PTIofficial) February 12, 2024
Rejected ballots surpass victory margin in 24 seats: Report
In 22 parliamentary constituencies in Punjab and one each in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces, the number of rejected ballots has been found to be greater than the margin of victory, the Dawn daily reported.
In 13 of these constituencies, PMLN was the winner, PPP got five, four seats went to PTI-backed independents and two to other independents.
Four of the 24 constituencies had as many as 15,000 excluded ballots each, Dawn reported.
Sharif seeks allies as PTI fears losing independents
Pakistani leaders are set to converge on the capital Islamabad to resume difficult negotiations to form a coalition government after no clear winners emerged from last week’s disputed election.
“We are very, very close to reaching a power sharing formula. This week is crucial,” an aide to Nawaz Sharif, requesting anonymity, told the dpa news agency.
Sharif is holding coalition talks with former President Asif Ali Zardari’s PPP and other parties.
Meanwhile, there is no legal bar on Imran Khan’s candidates who contested as independents joining another party. There are fears many will defect.
“We are struggling to keep them under control,” a Khan aide told dpa, wishing not to be named.
Courts have ‘delicate role’ in deciding vote recounts
Legal expert Osama Malik told AFP that “the courts have a very delicate role at this moment”.
“They will [also] need to decide whether to order recounts in various constituencies. However, recounts in multiple constituencies could also delay the calling of parliament so the courts have to be wary of that as well.”
Who won in the four provinces?
Punjab: Pakistan’s most populous – and a key political state – saw Sharif’s PMLN win 137 of 297 seats, while PTI-backed candidates won 116.
Sindh: The PPP bastion returned expected results, with the party winning 84 of 130 seats – its fourth consecutive victory.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: PTI-backed independents win 90 of 115 seats, giving Khan’s party a clear majority and its third provincial government in a row.
Balochistan: In the 51-member assembly, PPP and the religious-political party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam have won 11 seats each. PMLN is in third place with 10 seats while the PTI and other independents have won 13 and 6 seats respectively.
Photos: MQM, PMLN celebrate their winning seats
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), a political party based in Sindh province, celebrated the parliamentary seats won by their candidates.
‘No government will have luxury of time, political security after election’
Pakistan-based political analyst Amber Rahim Shamsi says prolonged legal proceedings, protests and potential for violence have raised questions on the legitimacy of the election.
“In the short-term, any coalition birthed through a highly controversial election in a highly charged political environment will find it challenging to enact unpopular reforms that Pakistan desperately needs,” Shamsi told the AFP news agency.
“No government will have the luxury of time and political security after these elections,” she said. “There are also fears that this political insecurity will continue until the next elections, which could be earlier than five years.”
Election commission counters for pleas challenging results
The election commission says it is setting up four counters to facilitate candidates who want to file petitions against the results of Thursday’s vote.
Separately, the poll panel said it is suspending the results in three parliamentary constituencies: two in capital Islamabad and one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Petitions in Islamabad were filed by PTI-backed Shoaib Shaheen and Syed Muhammad Ali Bokhari, who claim victory.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PMLN chief Nawaz Sharif has filed an application to review the result of the Mansehra seat, won by a PTI-linked candidate.
Army-backed Sharif didn’t win the vote. What went wrong?
More than three days after Pakistan voted in general elections, there is little evidence that the sentiment of Nawaz Sharif’s core supporters is shared by the wider public that stunned analysts in their voting patterns.
For Lahore-based political analyst and editor Badar Alam, the roots of PMLN’s disappointing performance in the polls can be traced back to April 2022 when Imran Khan was ousted through a parliamentary vote of no-confidence.
Read more here.
Khan supporters block highways, hold strike
Thousands of supporters of Pakistan’s imprisoned ex-PM Imran Khan have blocked key highways and started a daylong strike in southwest Pakistan to protest the alleged rigging of last week’s elections.
Jan Achakzai, a government spokesman in Balochistan province, urged protesters to “show grace” by accepting defeat and moving away from the highways.
But candidates from PTI and some other parties have refused to accept their defeat in dozens of constituencies, alleging poll fraud.
‘My heart is crying tears of blood’, says father of jailed protester
When 30-year-old Tayyaba Raja was imprisoned while protesting against Imran Khan’s arrest, her father, Ashiq Ali, learned the news from television.
Ali, who works as a mechanic near Islamabad, was watching the news around five in the morning when he saw the video of her daughter being dragged away by the police.
“Don’t side with politicians, they are here now, but won’t be here tomorrow,” said Ali, while pleading to the chief of the army to release those imprisoned.
“My heart is crying tears of blood,” said Ali.
Watch his interview, and more on the political climate around Khan’s arrest, below.
Stock markets down on first day after poll results
The Pakistan Stock Exchange has recorded a sharp bearish trend, with markets seeing a decline of 1,050 points in the morning.
This is a continuation of the post-election day trend on Friday, a day after the polls, when the exchange showed a decline of 1,200 points.
With a split mandate in the vote and PTI protesting against what it calls a “stolen” mandate, the economic outlook continues to look uncertain.