Imran Khan Wins Pak Polls, Say Official Results, Needs Coalition
NEW DELHI, July 27: The official results of the Pakistan general elections have given victory to cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan's party Tehreek-e-Insaf or PTI, according to reports. Mr Khan will, however, need to stitch an alliance to form a coalition government.
Provisional results released by the Election Commission of Pakistan today morning showed PTI had won 110 seats out of the 251 races where counting had ended. The National Assembly has 272 seats in total and the halfway mark is 137 for a simple majority.
Mr Khan's direct rival and jailed former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's party PML-N won 63 seats.
The left-of-centre Pakistan People's Party or PPP led by Bilawal Bhutto, son of assassinated leader Benazir Bhutto, won 42 seats.
Results from 21 seats are still being counted, reports said.
Although Imran Khan appeared likely to fall short of the 137 seats needed for a majority in the National Assembly, his better-than-expected results mean he should have no problems forming a government with a handful of small coalition partners.
During a presidential style address on Thursday night, Imran Khan offered to investigate opposition claims of rigging and vowed to improve relations with India and Afghanistan, while calling for "mutually beneficial" ties with the US.
Pakistan election results: Nawaz Sharif's party PML-N and others have accused the military of rigging the elections (Reuters)
The allegations of rigging in Wednesday's election follow a bitter campaign in which Pakistan's powerful military was accused of tilting the race in favour of Mr Khan, and trying to erase democratic gains made since the last military regime ended in 2008.
"(PML-N) would play the role of a strong opposition," said Shehbaz Sharif, the PML-N president and brother of Nawaz Sharif, according to the English-language Dawn newspaper.
Imran Khan's party also appears to have succeeded in wresting control of the local assembly in Pakistan's biggest province, Punjab, from the Sharifs, according to the official but incomplete results. Punjab is home to more than half of Pakistan's 208 million people and had been the power base of the Sharif family for more than three decades.
India is closely monitoring the political situation in Pakistan. A nationalist party at the helm will affect the security of the people in Jammu and Kashmir as well as the rest of India in view of Pakistan's tacit support to terror. In his address on Thursday night, Imran Khan indicated he would be open to talks with India on Kashmir. "The biggest dispute between us is about Kashmir. We need to talk about Kashmir... We're still on Square 1. India sees Baluchistan, we see Kashmir... this blame game has to stop. We are ready to take two steps forward if you take one," he said.
In a tweet, Jammu and Kashmir's PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti congratulated Imran Khan.
Mr Khan's success in the elections is a stunning rise for someone who has spent much of his political career on the fringes of Pakistan politics. In his speech peppered with populist pledges, Mr Khan promised to create jobs for the poor and said he would turn the palatial prime minister's official residence in the capital into an education facility, instead of living in it.
Congratulations to @ImranKhanPTI on his victory. His hard work and tenacity won the day.
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) July 27, 2018
Courtesy: www.ndtv.com
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
