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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Two held for 'firing' at BJP leader's house in Bengal
Kolkata (PTI): A day before the counting of votes for the West Bengal assembly elections, two persons were arrested on Sunday for allegedly being involved in a firing incident outside the residence of a BJP leader in North 24 Parganas district, police said.
BJP leader Kundan Singh lodged a police complaint, alleging that a few gunmen fired at his house in the Noapara constituency around Saturday midnight.
Based on the CCTV footage, the two accused were apprehended, a senior officer said.
BJP's Noapara candidate Arjun Singh, in a post on social media, claimed that around 12.05 am, two armed miscreants arrived on a motorcycle at the residence of Kundan Singh, a BJP functionary and secretary of the Barrackpore organisational district, with an "intent to kill him".
According to the BJP leader, the accused are residents of Garulia and are known criminals.
Their names as offenders had been submitted to the Election Commission, he said.
The police officer did not specify whether the two arrested persons were the same individuals named by Arjun Singh.
According to the complaint, one round of firing took place outside Kundan Singh's house, triggering panic in the area.
The BJP candidate also questioned the role of the police, claiming that one of the accused had been detained by the police on the polling day but was later released in the evening.
The Noapara assembly seat went to the polls on April 29.
Several BJP leaders alleged that attempts were being made to create an atmosphere of fear ahead of the counting and weaken the organisation of the opposition parties.
The counting of votes will take place on May 4. Polling for the West Bengal assembly elections was held on April 23 and April 29.
The BJP urged the Election Commission to intervene immediately to ensure peaceful counting.
TMC candidate Somnath Shyam rubbished Arjun Singh’s allegation, claiming that the BJP nominee had orchestrated the firing incident to divert attention from imminent defeat.
“Arjun Singh knows all the gangsters in the Barrackpore belt. Everyone knows about his links with the underworld. Let the police investigate the incident,” Shyam said.
