The occasion of the imprisoned former prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, received essentially the most seats in parliamentary elections this week, delivering a robust rebuke to the nation’s highly effective generals and throwing the political system into chaos.
Whereas navy leaders had hoped the election would put an finish to the political turmoil that has consumed the nation since Mr. Khan’s ouster in 2022, it has as an alternative plunged it into a fair deeper disaster, analysts mentioned.
By no means earlier than within the nation’s historical past has a politician seen such success in an election with out the backing of the generals — a lot much less after dealing with their iron fist.
In voting on Thursday, candidates from Mr. Khan’s occasion, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or P.T.I., appeared to win about 97 seats within the Nationwide Meeting, the decrease home of Parliament, the nation’s election fee reported on Saturday. The navy’s most well-liked occasion, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, or P.M.L.N., led by a three-time former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, received at the least 73 seats, the fee mentioned. Solely seven seats have been left unaccounted for — not sufficient to vary the end result as reported by the fee.
Whereas candidates aligned with Mr. Khan have been set to be the biggest group in Parliament, they nonetheless fell wanting a easy majority — setting off a race between the events of Mr. Khan and Mr. Sharif to win over different lawmakers and set up a coalition authorities.
Leaders of Mr. Khan’s occasion additionally mentioned they deliberate courtroom challenges in dozens of races that they consider have been rigged by the navy, and mentioned they might urge their followers to carry peaceable protests if the remaining outcomes weren’t launched by Sunday.
The success of Mr. Khan’s occasion was a head-spinning upset in an election that the navy thought can be a simple victory for Mr. Sharif. Forward of final week’s election, Pakistan’s highly effective generals had jailed Mr. Khan, arrested candidates allied with him and intimidated his supporters to clear his occasion from the taking part in subject — or so that they thought. As a substitute, the election outcomes confirmed that Mr. Khan stays a formidable pressure in Pakistani politics, regardless of his ouster and subsequent imprisonment.
On Friday night, Mr. Khan’s occasion launched a victory speech utilizing a computer-generated voice to simulate that of Mr. Khan, who has been jailed since August. “I congratulate you all for your election 2024 victory. I had full confidence that you would all come out to vote,” the A.I.-generated voice mentioned. “Your massive turnout has stunned everybody.”
The success of Mr. Khan’s occasion upended the decades-old political playbook governing Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation of 240 million. All through these years, the navy has wielded final authority, guiding its politics behind a veil of secrecy, and civilian leaders have sometimes risen to energy solely with its help — or been pushed from workplace by its heavy hand.
The vote additionally confirmed that Mr. Khan’s technique of preaching reform and railing in opposition to the navy has resonated deeply with Pakistanis — notably younger folks — who’re disillusioned with the political system. It additionally proved that his loyal base of supporters was seemingly proof against the navy’s outdated techniques for demoralizing voters, together with arresting supporters and issuing lengthy jail sentences to their political leaders days earlier than the vote.
Mr. Khan, a former cricket star turned populist politician, was sentenced to a complete of 34 years in jail after being convicted in 4 separate instances on fees that included leaking state secrets and techniques and illegal marriage, and that he has known as politically motivated.
Three of these verdicts have been issued simply days earlier than the vote — an outdated tactic utilized by the navy, analysts say. However early estimates present that round 48 p.c of the voters turned out for the election, in accordance with the Free and Fair Election Network, a company of civil society teams. Voter turnout within the nation’s previous two elections was about 50 p.c, the group mentioned.
The outcomes have been “both an anti-establishment vote and also a vote against the status quo, against the two other major political parties that have been ruling the country and their dynastic politics,” Zahid Hussain, an analyst based mostly in Islamabad, mentioned, referring to the navy because the institution.
And not using a easy majority, most analysts consider will probably be troublesome for Mr. Khan’s occasion, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or P.T.I., to type a authorities. Some P.T.I. leaders have additionally advised that the occasion would moderately stay within the opposition than lead a weakened coalition authorities with Mr. Khan nonetheless behind bars.
Regardless of lagging behind within the polls, on Friday Mr. Sharif gave a victory speech in entrance of a crowd of supporters of his occasion, P.M.L.N. He additionally invited different events to affix his in forming a coalition authorities, suggesting that such a coalition wouldn’t embrace P.T.I.
“We are inviting everyone today to rebuild this injured Pakistan and sit with us,” he mentioned in a speech in Lahore, the capital of Punjab Province.
However any coalition Mr. Sharif manages to type will face severe political challenges. The coalition authorities led by P.M.L.N. after Mr. Khan’s ouster was deeply unpopular and extensively criticized failing to deal with an financial disaster that has battered the nation and despatched inflation to report highs.
The incoming authorities can also be prone to face a severe legitimacy disaster. The election on Thursday has additionally been criticized by some as one of many least credible within the nation’s historical past, and delays in releasing the election outcomes have led to widespread allegations that the navy tampered with the vote depend to tip the scales again in P.M.L.N.’s favor.
With P.T.I. promising bruising and prolonged courtroom battles over the outcomes, it may very well be a while earlier than any occasion manages to type a authorities.
“We will pursue all legal options, and we will pursue all constitutional options,” mentioned the P.T.I. chief, Raoof Hasan.
Zia ur-Rehman contributed reporting.
