Pakistan polls: Imran Khan, Nawaz Sharif both claim victory

Former Pakistani Prime Ministers Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif have both claimed victory in the country’s general elections although the counting of votes is still underway.

So far, the Independent candidates backed by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf have secured 99 out of 266 seats in the National Assembly, reported Al Jazeera. Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz is a close second with 71 seats and the Pakistan People’s Party has secured 53 seats.

Pakistan’s National Assembly has a total of 266 elected members. A party or a coalition needs 134 seats to win.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, which was the largest party in the previous general elections in 2018, was forced to field its candidates as independents this time as the country’s Supreme Court blocked the party from using its electoral symbol. Khan, the party’s chief, is in jail after being convicted in multiple legal cases.

As his party continued to lead in the majority of seats, Khan on Friday congratulated the country and expressed gratitude for the victory in an Artificial Intelligence-generated speech. The video, posted on X, showed Khan’s virtual version describing Sharif as a “petty man”.

The former cricketer also said that no Pakistani will accept him or his claim of victory.

“My fellow Pakistanis, you have made history,” Khan said....

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