Imran Khan is on course to become Pakistan’s new prime minister, early results from the country’s election suggest.
With nearly half the votes counted from July 25election, the ex-cricket star’s PTI party is in the lead.
It is expected to fall short of an overall majority and to seek coalition partners. Officials deny claims of vote rigging made by Imran Khan’s rivals.
With votes counted in 47% of stations, Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party was leading in 113 of the 272 National Assembly constituencies being contested, Pakistan’s Dawn Newspaper reported, citing Election Commission figures.
Oxford-educated Imran Khan, who led Pakistan to victory in cricket’s World Cup in 1992, first entered politics in 1996 but struggled for years on the political sidelines. In the lead-up to this vote, the 65-year-old faced accusations that he was benefiting from military interference against his rivals.
Campaigning has been marred by violence. On voting day a bomb killed 31 people at a polling station.
This election will mark only the second time that a civilian government has handed power to another after serving a full term in Pakistan.
However, the party of disgraced former PM Nawaz Sharif has rejected the results, as have a host of smaller parties, all alleging vote-rigging and manipulation.
The party of assassinated former PM Benazir Bhutto, the historically liberal PPP, is widely expected to come third.
The party is now fronted by Benazir Bhutto’s son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, a 29-year-old Oxford University graduate.
The turnout has been estimated at between 50% and 55% out of 106 million registered voters, AFP reports.
Pakistan’s opposition leader and former cricketer Imran Khan re-married in secret.
Imran Khan, 62, reportedly confirmed on January 5 that he was a married man. He was speaking to reporters at Heathrow Airport before flying home to Pakistan to “share the good news” with the nation.
Pakistanis have taken to Facebook and Twitter expressing mixed feelings about his marriage to Pakistan’s Dawn News political talk show host and former BBC Weather presenter Reham Khan.
Reham Khan, 41, is a divorced mother-of-three
Imran Khan’s only reference to his marriage on social media was this tweet posted on Twitter and Facebook on December 31.
He did not deny it but said reports of his marriage were “greatly exaggerated”.
Imran Khan’s sister Aleena reacted with anger at the news, saying she doesn’t want to meet the new Mrs. Khan.
He pointed to the fact that he had in no way deceived his wife and insisted that he put his two teenage children first when coming to a decision.
Imran Khan, who divorced heiress Jemima Goldsmith in 2004, said: “I didn’t think of my marriage for 10 years after my divorce because my children were small.
“I do not ever think of hurting my children’s feelings.”
Reham Khan is understood to have moved into the house with her youngest daughter.
Pakistan’s parliament is holding a joint session as PM Nawaz Sharif seeks to rally support against protesters calling for his resignation.
Clashes between security forces and demonstrators continued for a third day on September 1 in the capital Islamabad.
The army has denied suggestions it is backing anti-government groups, insisting it is “apolitical”.
Nawaz Sharif – who was elected last year – has said he is determined to protect democracy and will not resign.
The emergency session of both houses of parliament could last several days and the prime minister will make an address during the session.
Opposition cleric Tahir ul-Qadri has insisted that Nawaz Sharif should step down to face murder charges and a terrorism probe.
Tahir ul-Qadri is supported by another opposition politician, Imran Khan – who argues that the June 2013 elections were rigged.
Police were deployed in strength late on Monday as the government resumed negotiations with Tahir ul-Qadri and Imran Khan.
Protests in Pakistan had been peaceful until August 30, when violence broke out
PM Nawaz Sharif – who was elected with an overwhelming mandate – has pledged “not to let the people’s mandate be hijacked by intimidation”.
His Pakistan Muslim League is the largest political party in the country.
The country’s national PTV television channel on September 1 was briefly taken off air after protesters stormed its headquarters in Islamabad.
The army’s public relations wing on the same day issued a statement in which it described itself as an “apolitical institution” that “categorically rejected” supporting either Imran Khan or Tarih ul-Qadri.
The army’s intervention came after a senior figure in Imran Khan’s PTI party, Javed Hashmi, claimed Khan had told senior party members that the army and intelligence services were ready to help him and Tahir ul-Qadri topple the government.
A popularly elected government, which now also has the support of almost all opposition forces, is being cornered by a minority political group and the followers of a cleric who runs a charity network.
Thousands of demonstrators – some wielding batons and throwing stones – on September 1 moved on the main building housing Pakistan’s federal bureaucracy and Prime Minister’s House. A number of riot policemen were reported to have been injured.
Protests had been peaceful until August 30, when violence broke out. Three people died and hundreds were injured.
Imran Khan’s opposition party, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI), says it has decided to resign all its seats in Pakistan’s national assembly.
A senior member of party said they were trying to force PM Nawaz Sharif to step down.
The PTI party has 34 of the national assembly’s 342 seats, making it the second biggest opposition group.
Imran Khan has called for the prime ministers to step down, alleging vote rigging in the 2013 election that he won by a landslide.
Shah Mehmud Qureshi, a senior PTI leader, said the party would also withdraw from three out of four provincial assemblies in Pakistan.
The fourth province, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is under PTI control and officials there will not resign, he said.
The members of parliament’s resignations must be submitted to the national assembly speaker but correspondents said this would not happen on Monday as parliament had adjourned for the day.
Imran Khan has called for Pakistan’s PM Nawaz Sharif to step down, alleging vote rigging in the 2013 election that he won by a landslide (photo Wikipedia)
Imran Khan, a former captain of Pakistan’s cricket team, has been demonstrating along with thousands of his supporters in the capital Islamabad since Friday to demand fresh elections.
His rally took place at the same time as a similar demonstration by anti-government cleric Tahirul Qadri, who told crowds that the protests must continue until they bring a “peaceful revolution”.
Nawaz Sharif’s victory was the first democratic transfer of power in Pakistan, which has a long history of coups.
Critics say Tahirul Qadri has close ties to Pakistan’s armed forces.
Supporters of Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri are angry about Pakistan’s poorly performing economy, growing militancy, and the government’s failure to deliver services such as a steady electricity supply.
However, other opposition figures have criticized the demonstrations and Imran Khan’s call for people to stop paying tax bills in protest at the government.
Former president Asif Ali Zardari, co-chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party, the largest opposition party, said such “unconstitutional means” would not help the cause.
“Democracy will not be served by calls for civil disobedience nor by a stubborn refusal by any side to engage in a meaningful dialogue on political issues,” Asif ALi Zardari said in a statement.
The funeral of the murdered vice-president of Pakistan’s PTI party, Zahra Shahid Hussain, has been held at a mosque in the country’s capital, Karachi.
Zahra Shahid Hussain was shot dead outside her home in Karachi by gunmen on a motorcycle.
PTI leader Imran Khan has blamed one of his political rivals for the killing.
On his Twitter feed, Imran Khan said he was holding the leader of Karachi’s dominant MQM party, Altaf Hussain, responsible for her death – a claim the MQM has strongly denied.
It came as Karachi voted in a partial re-run of Pakistan’s general election.
Police are investigating whether Zahra Shahid Hussain’s killing was the result of an attempted robbery or a politically motivated murder.
Doctors at Karachi’s Jinnah Hospital havesaid their initial examination showed two bullet marks on her body. A full post-mortem report is expected to be released.
Imran Khan, a former captain of Pakistan’s cricket team, said Altaf Hussain, who is in self-imposed exile in London, had “openly threatened PTI workers and leaders through public broadcasts”.
He said he was also holding the British government responsible, as he said he had warned it about Altaf Hussain.
Imran Khan tweeted his accusations from his hospital bed, where he is recovering from a back injury sustained during a fall at an election rally in Lahore.
Last week, police in London confirmed they were investigating complaints that Altaf Hussain had broken UK laws by issuing threats in a speech he made the day after the vote.
In response to accusations of electoral fraud, he is alleged to have threatened his accusers with violence.
The funeral of the murdered vice-president of Pakistan’s PTI party, Zahra Shahid Hussain, has been held at a mosque in Karachi
Altaf Hussain and his supporters say that his remarks were taken out of context. He has lived in the UK since 1991, saying his life would be at risk if he returned to Pakistan.
MQM spokesman Mohammad Anwar said that Imran Khan’s comments were the “groundless, baseless” accusations of a man who had suffered a bitter, unexpected loss in the election.
He said there was only one reason that Imran Khan could have issued a statement of blame just minutes after the killing: “He is behind the murder. He is the mastermind.”
Last Sunday’s electoral re-run in Karachi was ordered after Imran Khan’s party accused the MQM of widespread vote-rigging and intimidation.
The MQM – which took most of the seats in Karachi – denies any irregularities and is boycotting the vote, which is taking place under tight security.
Voter turn-out appeared slow but steady.
The PTI is hoping to win the vote and make inroads in Pakistan’s commercial capital.
Whatever the outcome of the re-run, it will not overturn the overall result of last week’s vote, in which conservative leader Nawaz Sharif secured an unprecedented third term in power.
The MQM is seen as a perpetrator – as well as a victim – of violence in Karachi.
Since the 1980s, it has won every election it has contested there.
But it also stands widely accused of ruling Karachi by fear and through vote-rigging.
The general election on May 11 marked the first transition of power from one democratically elected government since the creation of the state of Pakistan in 1947.
However, the campaign was marred by violence in which about 150 people were killed across the country.
The MQM (Muttahida Qaumi Movement) is supported mainly by Muslim Urdu-speaking people whose families moved to Sindh province at the time of the partition of India in 1947.
Voting in Karachi on May 11 was disrupted by a bomb attack outside the office of the ANP party, in which 11 people were killed and more than 40 injured.
The bombing happened in the Landhi district of Karachi, where Taliban militants are known to be active.
Former cricketer Imran Khan, the leader of Pakistan’s PTI party, has blamed one of his political rivals for the killing of PTI vice-president Zahra Shahid Hussain.
Zahra Shahid Hussain was shot dead outside her home in Karachi by gunmen on a motorcycle.
On his Twitter feed, Imran Khan said he was holding the leader of Karachi’s dominant MQM party, Altaf Hussain, responsible for her death – a claim the MQM has strongly denied.
It comes as Karachi votes in a partial re-run of Pakistan’s general election.
Police say the motive for Zahra Shahid Hussain’s shooting is unclear.
Imran Khan said Altaf Hussain, who is in self-imposed exile in London, had “openly threatened PTI workers and leaders through public broadcasts”.
He said he was also holding the British government responsible, as he said he had warned them about Altaf Hussain.
Imran Khan tweeted his accusations from his hospital bed, where he is recovering from a back injury sustained during a fall at an election rally in Lahore.
Imran Khan said he was holding the leader of Karachi’s dominant MQM party, Altaf Hussain, responsible for Zahra Shahid Hussain’s death
Last week, police in London confirmed they were investigating complaints that Altaf Hussain had broken UK laws by issuing threats in a speech he made the day after the vote.
In response to accusations of electoral fraud, he is alleged to have threatened his accusers with violence.
Altaf Hussain says that his remarks were taken out of context.
He has lived in the UK since 1991, saying his life would be at risk if he returned to Pakistan.
Sunday’s electoral re-run in Karachi was ordered after Imran Khan’s party accused the MQM of widespread vote-rigging and intimidation.
The MQM – which took most of the seats in Karachi – denies any irregularities and is boycotting the vote.
Security is tight, and correspondents say tensions in Karachi are running high.
Whatever the outcome of the re-run, it will not overturn the result of last week’s vote, in which conservative leader Nawaz Sharif secured an unprecedented third term in power.
The MQM is seen as a perpetrator – as well as a victim – of violence in the city.
Since the 1980s, the MQM has won every election it has contested there.
But it also stands widely accused of ruling Karachi by fear and through vote-rigging.
The general election on May 11 marked the first transition of power from one democratically elected government since the creation of the state of Pakistan in 1947.
However, the campaign was marred by violence in which about 150 people were killed across the country.
Zahra Shahid Hussain was shot by gunmen on a motorcycle outside her home in Karachi’s upmarket Defence area, the family neighborhood of assassinated Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
The MQM (Muttahida Qaumi Movement) is supported mainly by Muslim Urdu-speaking people whose families moved to Sindh province at the time of the partition of India in 1947.
Voting in Karachi on May 11 was disrupted by a bomb attack outside the office of the ANP party, in which 11 people were killed and more than 40 injured.
The bombing happened in the Landhi district of Karachi, where Taliban militants are known to be active.
Senior Pakistani politician Zahra Shahid Hussain has been shot dead in the southern port city of Karachi.
Zahra Shahid Hussain was the senior vice-president of Pakistan’s Movement for Justice party (PTI), led by former international cricketer Imran Khan.
She was killed by gunmen on a motorcycle outside her home in the city’s upmarket Defence neighborhood.
Her murder comes on the eve of a highly-contested partial re-run of last Saturday’s general election.
The reason for the shooting is unclear.
Imran Khan has blamed the city’s dominant MQM party for her murder, a claim the party has denied.
Senior Pakistani politician Zahra Shahid Hussain has been shot dead in the southern port city of Karachi
Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, citing police, said the shooting happened during an attempted robbery.
Our correspondent says that reports of Zahra Shahid Hussain being shot twice in the head raise suspicions that it was a targeted killing made to look like a robbery.
Local PTI leader Firdous Shamim told AFP news agency that Zahra Shahid Hussain “was leaving her home for work when three gunmen attacked her. She thought they wanted to snatch her purse and handed it over to them but they killed her”.
Zahra Shahid Hussain was reportedly rushed to hospital but succumbed to her injuries on the way.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the murder, describing it as a “tragic incident”.
Sunday’s partial re-run of the vote in Karachi was ordered after Imran Khan’s party accused the MQM of widespread vote-rigging and intimidation.
The MQM – which took most of the seats in Karachi – denies any irregularities.
Karachi is torn by regular violence – much of it politically motivated.
Former cricketer and leading Pakistani politician Imran Khan has been injured after falling off a makeshift lift that was taking him onto a stage at an election rally in Lahore.
It is unclear how badly Imran Khan was hurt, but he suffered visible head injuries in the fall.
Imran Khan was taken to hospital for treatment by supporters afterwards.
He had been campaigning ahead of Saturday’s parliamentary elections, in which his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party is expected to do well.
Imran Khan has been injured after falling off a makeshift lift that was taking him onto a stage at an election rally in Lahore
Dramatic television pictures from Tuesday’s campaign rally showed Imran Khan falling about 15ft from the lift platform together with several others, some of whom appeared to land on top of him.
A dazed and bloodied Imran Khan was later seen being carried away by supporters to a vehicle which drove him to a local hospital.
After receiving initial treatment he was moved to Lahore’s Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital, which he founded.
A local PTI spokesman, Malik Ishtiaq, told the AFP news agency that Imran Khan had suffered head injuries. But another spokesman described his injuries as minor and insisted he would return to the rally.
“Imran Khan is all right. He has been taken to the hospital for first aid. He will be back to address the rally very soon after getting initial treatment,” Chaudhry Rizwan said.
Imran Khan’s former wife Jemima Khan wrote on Twitter: “He is in hospital and conscious now”.
His nephew, Hassan Niazi, tweeted: “Chairman reciting kalima in ambulance – he is fine – plz just pray”.
Hundreds of well-wishers and supporters later gathered outside the Shaukat Khanum hospital, chanting “Long live Imran Khan”, AFP said.
The PTI leader has been campaigning relentlessly in the run-up to Saturday’s poll and briefly collapsed on stage earlier this week.
Imran Khan is one of the key candidates in the election, and the PTI has been gaining momentum. He believes a “tsunami” of support will sweep him to power.
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