Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif, delivered a victory speech on Friday, confidently asserting that his political party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), had emerged as the leading force in the national elections.
The elder Sharif, however, refrained from disclosing the exact number of seats secured by his party, citing the ongoing counting process in the remaining constituencies of the 265 seats that were contested.
Despite the premature declaration of victory, the latest count released by the Election Commission of Pakistan indicated that PML-N had won 61 seats, falling significantly short of the 133 seats required to independently form a government.
Independent candidates, many with the backing of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, claimed 88 seats in the National Assembly, while the Pakistan Peoples Party secured 50 seats.
The results from only 213 constituencies of the National Assembly were available at the time of filing this report.
The situation in Punjab mirrored the national scenario, as PML-N, until the current report, secured 121 seats, trailing behind independent candidates who clinched 127 seats in the Punjab Assembly.
Addressing a charged crowd in Lahore, Sharif acknowledged that his party alone lacked the requisite number of seats. However, he expressed confidence that his deputies would engage with leaders from other political entities, including former President Asif Ali Zardari of the Pakistan Peoples Party, later in the day to explore the possibility of forming a coalition government.
Sharif emphasized the urgent need for a coalition government to navigate the country through its current challenges.
