In the 2024 Pakistan general election, Imran Khan’s PTI stood strong despite a crackdown on campaigning that lasted for months. Many of their candidates had to run as independents.
Pakistan now faces a period of political bargaining as the latest election results reveal no clear winner. Independent candidates, who support the imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, performed well in the polls.
1. The 2024 Pakistan general election saw long delays in result announcements, leading to allegations of vote-rigging by the military.
2. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), backed by the army, claimed victory as the party with the most seats, but will need to negotiate with rivals and independents to form a government.
3. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), primarily popular in Sindh, performed better than expected in the election.
4. The PML-N and PPP, along with minor parties, ousted Imran Khan from office in 2022, despite his party winning a narrow majority in 2018.
5. Nawaz Sharif, leader of the PML-N, invited other successful parties and candidates to collaborate in forming the government
6. Imran Khan, head of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), claimed victory through an AI-generated audio-visual message on social media.
7. The PTI faced challenges in the election due to a crackdown on campaigning, forcing many of their candidates to run as independents.
8. Imran Khan rejected Nawaz Sharif’s claim to victory and urged his supporters to celebrate despite the crackdown on his party.
9. Independents, including 88 loyal to Khan, won at least 99 seats in the National Assembly.
10. Minor parties secured 27 seats, including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), which took 17, likely to be crucial in the coming days. Additionally, PTI’s independents could secure further seats reserved for women and religious minorities based on party performance.
