The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Sunday tightened its grip over the throne by clinching 124 seats of the National Assembly, leaving behind the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf which is trailing behind with 32 seats and Pakistan Peoples’ Party-Parliamentarians (PPP) with 32 seats.
According to unofficial results, the PML-N is set to clinch around half a dozen more seats while the PPP and PTI are also likely to gain more seats. Some political heavyweights who fought independently are also leading.
Some interesting facts have also emerged in the elections 2013. Despite strong evidence of rigging in parts of the country, it has come to the fore that the people of Pakistan rejected ideas of awarding tickets to people from middle and lower classes and rather they voted for strong candidates.
Moreover, the voters also did not pay heed to the sloganeering for carving out new provinces and even the deprived people of South Punjab and Hazara divisions polled their votes against those who had promised new provinces for them.
The PPP could only win a single National Assembly seat from entire South Punjab while Sooba Haraza Movement leaders failed to clinch even a single seat from Hazara division.
Moreover, the people also rejected young and enthusiastic contenders who were awarded tickets from the PTI with a slogan for ‘change’. Rather, it looks that the people voted for clan system and status quo while in some constituencies, the voters gave mandate on sectarian lines as well.
As far as provincial assemblies are concerned, the situation is quite clear this time around.
In Punjab Assembly, the PML-N is heading towards a clear majority with around 207 seats already in its bag, while 40 independent candidates have won and the PTI is trailing far behind with only 22 seats in the Punjab Assembly.
The PTI, however, is poised to form government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the Imran Khan-led party has been given a clear mandate by the people of KP. PTI has won 34 seats in KP Assembly followed by JUI-F with 15 seats, PML-N with 12 and Jamaat-e-Islami having 7 seats.
In Sindh Assembly, PPPP is leading with 44 seats followed by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) with 21 seats and the PML-F with 10.
In Balochistan, the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) is poised to form the government with support from the PML-N and some of the Baloch nationalist parties. As per the results, which are coming on a slow pace from conflict-hit areas of the province, PkMAP bagged nine seats followed by PML-N with eight and six independents and two PML-Q men.