Live: Elections 2024

PTI Senior Vice President Sher Afzal Marwat has alleged that former premier and PPP candidate Yousuf Raza Gilani, who emerged victorious from NA-148, “lost by 6,500 votes” according to the Form-45.

Speaking to the media, Marwat claimed Gilani was “made to win by a margin of 104 votes” according to the provisional results issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan.

PTI-backed independent candidate Barrister Taimur Malik was contesting against the ex-prime minister from Multan.

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz has said that there is “no truth” in assumptions that party supremo Nawaz Sharif is staying away from politics because he did not choose to be the party’s candidate for the premiership.

In a post on X, Maryam said, “During the next five years, not only would he actively participate in politics but also lead his governments in the Centre and Punjab.”

She further said that Nawaz had “made it clear in his election speeches that he would not be a part of any coalition government”.

Pakistan Muslim League-Zia President Ijazul Haq has said he would consult his “party and friends” on PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat’s offer to “remain in a group” in the next government.

Haq has met Shujaat a day after the PML-Q affirmed support for a PML-N-led coalition setup.

Addressing a press conference, Haq said, “As Chaudhry sahib said, a lot of people from Islamabad, Pindi have come to meet him today, as well as Tariq Cheema.

“So we discussed among ourselves [and] Shujaat sahib had said to me that we should remain in a group [in the next government] so I told him that I will consult my party and friends,” the son of former military dictator Zia said.

He added that he would meet Shujaat again soon and “see how we can move forward”.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has condemned the arrest of independent candidate Daniyal Aziz, his wife Mehnaz Akber Aziz, and his son following the February 8 elections.

Daniyal, who is a former federal minister, was already in police custody when his wife and son were arrested. Prior to Mahnaz’s arrest, she had claimed that Daniyal was being illegally detained for rigging the election, which he has denied. She added that more than 100 of their supporters had been arrested.

“HRCP deplores the authorities’ high-handedness against independent candidate Daniyal Aziz and his wife, former MNA Mehnaz Akber Aziz, and their son, in Narowal soon after the elections,” the commission said in a statement on X.

“Mr Aziz had been arrested earlier by the police on unknown charges while visiting polling stations in his constituency on polling day. All cases of unwarranted force against political candidates, their families and supporters must be investigated and those responsible held to account,” the HRCP added.

PTI-backed independent candidate Barrister Taimur Malik has said he “just received” a copy of the election commission’s letter to NA-148’s returning officer, highlighting the delay in the processing of his complaint.

Shared by Malik on X, the letter on his complaint about “denial of access” to the RO’s office during the provisional consolidation of poll results was issued on February 9 and stated that the matter may be treated as “most urgent”.

“This is why it’s important to document irregularities — this establishes a pattern of wrong-doing and shall need to be looked into by the superior courts,” he added.

Senior PPP leader Khursheed Shah has said that the party would instead go for the chairmanship of the National Assembly standing committees, instead of ministries.

“The ministries which will go to the PML-N, we will go for those standing committees,” he said. “Committees are more powerful than ministries,” he said while speaking to Dawn.com correspondent Nadir Guramani.

PTI’s Babar Awan has claimed that the incoming government was being formed through “lotabazi”.

“I want to tell the turncoats that you will be disqualified under the spirit of Article 63 of the Constitution,” he warned. “We have the statements and affidavits of all these people.”

Article 63-A outlines the process to disqualify a lawmaker who votes against the party line in the assembly during the election of the prime minister or chief minister, vote of confidence or no-confidence and budget.

“The majority is standing today […] the future of the country lies in the hands of Pakistanis, not any mafia and those trying to impose a mafia in the country will be defeated,” Awan added.

The Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) has claimed that the PTI has “changed its stance” on their plan regarding cooperation in the upcoming government.

A day after the PTI said it would join the JI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to form the provincial government, JI spokesperson Qaiser Sharif said that both parties had agreed to “cooperate on the national level in the national interest”.

“Tehreek-i-Insaf changed its stance,” Sharif said in a statement.

“They can settle their affairs in KP with whoever they wish; the JI would be glad.”

Babar Awan has demanded the immediate release of PTI founder Imran Khan, saying that the leader of the “largest party in the country” was needed in the formation of the new government.

He lauded the PTI chief’s decision to nominate Ali Amin Gandapur as the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying that he was the party’s lion who had stuck with Imran through thick and thin.

The Election Commission of Pakistan has directed to conduct repolling in six polling stations of NA-43 (Dera Ismail Khan/Tank) on Saturday, Radio Pakistan reports.

According to ECP, polling was restrained in these polling stations due to the law and order situation, the report added.

Former PTI leader and ex-human rights minister Shireen Mazari has said that it is PTI founder Imran Khan’s “right not to” negotiate with other parties.

In a post on X, she wondered, “Why would he sit with those who continue to steal the people’s mandate; who [as] PDM govt persecuted him, his leaders and workers; and who have been rejected in election 2024 by the people?”

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has directed to halt the vote recount and any other proceedings in PB-21 Hub.

The ECP on Sunday had announced a recount in 39 polling stations of Hub’s PB-21 constituency in Balochistan.

According to a notification issued today, the electoral watchdog said it was informed on Feb 12 by the provincial election commissioner and the returning officer that “some miscreants have entered the RO office and resorted to tampering of polling record forcibly resulting in grave law and order situation”.

Subsequently, the ECP has set up a four person fact-finding committee to investigate the matter. It has also directed to halt the vote recount process till further orders.

PML-N ex-minister Rana Tanveer Hussain has said that party senior vice-president Maryam Nawaz, also the daughter of ex-premier Nawaz Sharif, would become the “first female chief minister of Punjab”.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has withheld the results of NA-253 and PB-9 Kohlu and ordered re-election in seven polling stations after receiving some complaints.

Independent candidate Mian Khan Bugti was elected from NA-253 after defeating Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti.

According to an ECP notification, the polling will be held from 8am to 5pm on Feb 16.

Read more here.

PTI Central Information Secretary Raoof Hasan has said that Imran’s “mandate has been stolen in the dark of the night”.

In a post on X, Hasan said, “Pakistan is being put on [the] road to further destabilisation.”

Referring to a possible coalition government led by the PML-N, he said, “The decision to induct a bunch of criminals to form governments, who have been rejected by the people, reflects a myopic view of the grave challenges the country is beset with.”

The PTI spokesperson said the current situation was “striking at the very essence of democratic principles and norms”, as well as reflected a “disdain for the national interests and the welfare of its people”.

“Forces of dark must be stopped and power must pass on to those whom the people have chosen as their leaders,” Hasan added.

The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam—Fazl (JUI-F) has managed to secure two more National Assembly seats from Balochistan after its candidates were declared winners following a recount. Its total NA seats now stand at 6.

JUI-F Secretary General Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and Molvi Syed Samiullah were declared winners from NA-261 and NA-251, respectively.

According to the provisional results announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan, which were available on its website till late Tuesday night, BNP-Mengal’s Sardar Akhtar Mengal and Pashtoonkhwa National Party’s (PkNAP) Khushal Khan Kakar had won from NA-261 and NA-251, respectively.

Read more here.

PTI leader Shafqat Mahmood has expressed surprise at the “gumption” of politicians who he claims have “lost their seats yet claim victory with a straight face”.

In a post on X, Mahmood said, “With such a legacy they also promise to ‘save’ Pakistan. God help us.”

The Lahore High Court has dismissed the petitions against the victory of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif from NA-130, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif from PP-164 and his son Hamza Shehbaz from PP-147 with a direction to the petitioners to appro­a­­ch the Election Commis­sion of Pakistan (ECP).

PTI’s Punjab chapter president Dr Yasmin Rashid, who lost the election from NA-130, had challenged the victory of Nawaz Sharif.

Her counsel argued that respondent Sharif lost the election as per the record of Form 45, yet the returning officer (RO) declared him successful on the basis of alleged manipulated Form 47.

Justice Ali Baqar Najafi dismissed all the petitions and observed that the constitutional petitions were not maintainable before the high court without availing the first remedy under the law.

Read more here.

Lawyer Abdul Moiz Jaferii has said that if the cases against the tabulation of Form 47 results “do not end up in clear resolutions for each constituency”, bar members and judges “should really reflect upon” what their professions are worth.

In a post on X, he said, “If these Form 45/47 issues don not end up in clear resolutions for each constituency, members of the bars as well as the benches should really reflect upon what we do and what our professions are worth.

“The law must mean more to the people than a system of inconvenience,” he added.

Two of Balochistan’s political parties have decided to launch a protest movement against the alleged election rigging, describing the Feb 8 polls as the worst in the country’s history.

Pashtoonkhwa National Awami Party (PkNAP) Chairman Khushhal Khan Kakar and Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) President Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti told separate press conferences on Tuesday that their parties would launch a peaceful protest against the “rigged” elections.

Kakar pledged to expose those involved in rigging and announced that from today, highways leading from Quetta to Karachi, Dera Ismail Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Chaman and other cities would be closed for an indefinite period if the results of rigging were not corrected within two days.

He appealed to all Baloch, Pashtoon and Hazara nationalist party leaders, in­­cluding Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Chairman Mehmood Khan Ach­­akzai, to join hands with PkNAP in the movement launched against the alleged rigging.

Read more here.

The PTI has said that the best option for the PML-N is to “accept [its] defeat gracefully” and let their party founder Imran Khan “fix and heal the country”.

In a post on X, the party’s official account asked, “Can anyone from PML-N camp explain how PML-N won only 17 seats and what are they supposed to do with newspaper headlines that Nawaz Sharif be PM?”

It should be mentioned that Nawaz has nominated his brother and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif for the role of the prime minister.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued victory notifications for a dozen members of the National Assembly including PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif and three other members of his family.

As per the ECP’s notification the former prime minister has been declared a returned candidate from NA-130 (Lahore), his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif from NA-123 (Lahore), daughter Mar­yam Nawaz from NA-119 (Lahore) and nephew Hamza Shehbaz Sharif from NA-118 (Lahore).

The piecemeal issuance of notifications for publication in the official gazette in deviation from the tradition made many wonder if those declared successful have submitted details of the election expenses with the commission.

The commission has also declared PML-N leader Attaullah Tarar a winner from NA-127 (Lahore) and Muhammad Awn Chaudhry of IPP from NA-128 (Lahore).

ECP has also notified the victory of PML-N provincial president from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Ameer Muqam, from NA-11 (Shangla).

Read more here.

As per the Election Commission of Pakistan’s tally, the total number of general seats won by the six parties which announced their plans to form a coalition led by Shehbaz Sharif — PML-N, PPP, MQM-P, PML-Q, IPP and BAP — comes to 152.

This clearly shows that these parties will easily achieve the minimum required number of 169 to form the government at the Centre after the addition of 60 women and 10 minority seats in their tally.

However, it is yet to be seen if these parties will be able to get to the next magic number of 224, which is required to obtain the elusive two-thirds majority in a 336-member National Assembly.

If the PTI-backed candidates decide to join the Majlis-i-Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM), as announced by the party, it will get a share in the women and minorities seats as well.

However, since the MWM has only won a seat only from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the PTI would only be entitled to a share in the 10 reserved seats allocated to women from that province.

Read more here.

PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that party supremo Nawaz Sharif feels he can best support Shehbaz Sharif as prime minister and Maryam Nawaz as Punjab chief minister by helping them from behind and looking at party affairs.

Talking to Geo News, she said committees were being formed in every political party about the power-sharing setup in any future government.

PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that party supremo Nawaz Sharif has nominated party president Shehbaz Sharif for the post of the country’s prime minister.

She added that PML-N Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz was nominated for the post of Punjab’s chief minister.

PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari has said reconciliation is needed in the current political situation and the PTI is also included in that process.

“This is not that we want that PTI does not enter reconciliation. It should and every other political force should, come and talk with us. Our economic and defence agenda should be common. We should move forward with our commonalities and then make the house of Sharif and others successful so we can make Pakistan successful.”

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif has called for an end to “issues of ego”, adding that the need is for “revolutionary steps” to rescue the country’s economy.

“Come and I again invite the Charter of Economy to everyone. Come, move forward and let’s together promote the Charter of Democracy and end the things we said against one another.”

He said the enemies of the nation should be shown that it is united.

“Forgive and forget. Let us have this charter of reconciliation.”

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif has requested his brother Nawaz Sharif to accept the office of the prime minister.

He also said that PML-N Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz will be the Punjab chief minister candidate after the party’s consultations.

Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) leader Aleem Khan has said that Pakistan was going through an extremely difficult phase with inflation impacting the poor and economic crisis aggravating.

Addressing a press conference with political bigwigs in attendance, Khan said everyone had to step up for difficult decisions, which were beneficial for the country.

“I am hopeful the upcoming government of Shehbaz Sharif will efficiently take such decisions and end miseries of the poor,” he added.

He said he was thankful to Chaudhry Shujaat for inviting all political leaders for important discussions.

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif has said the next task on the agenda is to solve the country’s economic issues.

“Today we have united to tell the nation that we all accept the split mandate. I am thankful to Zardari and Bilawal that they decided for their party to vote for the PML-N,” he said and thanked the other gathered leaders as well.

Shehbaz said the other gathered parties with represented him “almost 2/3 majority” of the Parliament after elections.

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif has said the political leaders together with him have gathered to tell the nation that election politics of opposition was over and now was the time with the Parliament to form.

“Now our war is against the country’s challenges. The first challenge is the economy. We have to stabilise it which is a tall task. Nations move forward when their leadership unites and decides to end conflicts and take the nation forward to eliminate problems.”

MQM-Pakistan Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui has said that no interest could be greater than serving Pakistan for any party at the moment.

“With mutual cooperation, we will strengthen democracy and support Mian Shehbaz Sharif. We have supported him before and will do so in future,” he told a news conference with political bigwigs including Asif Ali Zardari, Shehbaz Sharif and others present alongside.

Siddiqui said everyone must put aside their political interests and move ahead with a common approach to serve the country.

PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari has said that he and other political leaders realise the level of debt in the country and are aware of the issues affecting the country.

“Looking at everything, we have thought and decided to sit together. We have contested elections against each other but despite that, it is not necessary that [we fight] forever. Opposition happens in elections. It was electioneering opposition, not ideological opposition.”

Zardari said the leaders could sit together and talk together and run the country together.

PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari has said that he and other political leaders gathered with him have decided to form the government together.

“We will take Pakistan out of difficulty,” he said.

Leaders of the PML-N, PPP, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid are addressing a press conference in Islamabad.

The PML-N and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) have held a meeting on the current political situation and government formation.

Both parties agreed to move forward with mutual cooperation and former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked the MQM-P for its support.

The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), a Sindh-based political alliance, has announced to stage protest demonstration on Hyderabad-Jamshoro bypass on Feb 16 against alleged rigging in the Feb 8 general elections.

Addressing a press conference in Karachi, GDA General Secretary Safdar Abbasi said the Feb 8 elections had been controversial across the world and no country was willing to accept the results.

“The PPP is not even popular among the public and the significant numbers of it obtained is itself questionable,” said Abbasi, who was flanked by other leaders including Hasnain Mirza, Liaquat Jatoi and others.

The GDA leaders appealed to the chief justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of the “fraud elections” and declare its results null and void.

In a message from jail through his family, PTI founder Imran Khan thanked the people of Pakistan for “entrusting the PTI with a resounding two-thirds majority”.

He commended the PTI’s social media and also appreciated polling agents for securing Form-45 “in the face of harassment and threats”.

“As the people of Pakistan have clearly pronounced their verdict, there is a dire need for democracy and fairness in Pakistan’s elections. I warn against the misadventure of forming a government with stolen votes. Such daylight robbery will not only be a disrespect to the citizens, but will also push the country’s economy further into a downward spiral,” Imran said.

“PTI will never compromise on people’s will, and I have categorically instructed my party against engaging with any political party that has robbed people’s mandate, including PPP, PMLN & MQM,” he added.

The PPP has announced the names of the members of its six-member committee tasked with contacting and coordinating with political parties.

Earlier in a press conference, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said the PPP would lend its support to the incoming government but would not join the federal cabinet. He said the party was constituting a committee in this regard.

In a post on X, the PPP said the committee comprises Qamar Zaman Kaira, Murad Ali Shah, Saeed Ghani, Nadeem Afzal Chan, Sardar Sanaullah Zehri and Shuja Khan.

PTI founder Imran Khan, who is incarcerated at Adiala Jail, has said he is not being moved to Bani Gala, according to a statement released by the party.

In a post on X, the PTI shared a message Imran had sent for party workers via his lawyers, who met him at Adiala Jail today.

“It is our responsibility to carry forward the public’s mandate, and start working wherever the government is to be formed,” Imran said in the message.

Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Central Information Secretary Qaisar Sharif has told Geo News that the PTI’s proposal for a coalition government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa arose in an Islamabad meeting today, adding that the JI did not give a final answer on the matter as of yet.

He said the JI would hold consultations and then give a reply to the PTI.

Sharif said the two parties were in talks soon after the elections and the JI had given an unconditional positive response to the PTI of “providing protection” to independent candidates.

The PTI has said PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is trying to save his party’s hereditary politics by “corruption and power-sharing”.

In response to Bilawal’s press conference, the PTI said that if Bilawal’s approach was democratic he would have recognised the public mandate instead of holding meetings with PML-N leaders at Jati Umra.

“After the awareness given by Imran Khan, the nation knows that the PPP and the PML-N are two sides of the same coin, responsible for drowning the people in the mire of inflation and destroying the country’s economy,” the party said in a statement on X.

Majlis-i-Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) chief Allama Raja Nasir Abbas has welcomed his party’s alliance with the PTI, saying that his party has stood by Imran Khan since the events of ‘regime change’ in April 2022 and will continue to do so “till the last drop of our blood”.

“We want unity in Pakistan and desires to see this country progress,” Allama Abbas told Geo News.

Abbas said his party had no greed or made any demands from the PTI. “We have a principled stand that what happened [with the PTI] was wrong.”

The MWM chief regretted laws had been enacted recently to suppress the PTI, adding that promoting certain political parties through an agenda should not happen in a democratic culture. “I hope sanity prevails now.”

“We have told Imran that we are with him on his principles until last drop of our blood,” he told the TV channel.

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif has said facts cannot be obscured by accusations of rigging, hinting at the PTI.

In a post on X, he said the PML-N was ready to sit in the opposition benches if independents proved their majority.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that the PTI’s refusal to speak to “any political party” reflected that they were creating an “environment of political stability”.

At a press conference, Bilawal alleged that the PTI wanted to continue an “extreme populist politics in which they want to play the role of a spoiler”.

He said the Imran Khan-led party wanted to de-legitimise as many democratic processes as possible. “They believe it’s to their political benefit to spread chaos in this country.”

PPP’s Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said he would like to see his father Asif Ali Zardari become the president.

“And I am not saying this because he is my father. I am saying this because the country is in a huge crisis at the moment and if anyone has the capacity to douse this fire, it is Asif Ali Zardari,” he asserted.

In response to a question, Bilawal said all political forces needed to think about the country and end the politics of division. “They must not just think about themselves […] this way the enemies of the country would want to benefit from this crisis.”

“It takes two to tango.”

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said the PTI is taking decisions that are not favourable for democracy, referring to the Imran Khan-led party’s recent announcement that it would not hold dialogue with the PML-N, PTI and MQM-P.

“Saying that we will not talk with anyone, okay don’t do it. But why did people give you a vote? They voted for you to resolve their problems […] a political force must listen to others.

“When they don’t do that, it damages the country,” Bilawal pointed out.

He stated that the PPP had today once again decided to raise the slogan of “Pakistan khappay” only for the sake of the country and in the interest of the people.

“We will support political parties without becoming part of the government in the shape of ministries or PDM 2 as people are saying. We will not become part of it. As far as premiership issues, budget and legislation are concerned, we will support them,” Bilawal added.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said his party has accepted the election results, despite concerns, in the larger interest of the country.

“We want all the political parties to address the shortcomings so that no one can point fingers at elections the next time. We will also utilise available forums like ECP, parliament, etc in addressing these issues,” he said at a press conference in Islamabad.

He said that his party had raised concerns regarding a level playing field with Asif Ali Zardari during the PPP’s Central Executive Committee meeting and the latter had assured that these complaints would be addressed.

“In conclusion, the PPP has made the decision that we may not be a part of the government but we will engage with political parties on the issue of votes and the election of prime minister.

“I am assuring the public that the Parliament will be formed and it is a forum where their issues will be resolved,” Bilawal added.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari says the PPP has decided to form a committee to engage with other political parties for the formation of government and political stability.

“The PPP has decided that we are unable or not in a position to join federal government ourselves, nor are we interested in taking ministries in such a setup. We also don’t want to see political chaos in the country,” he said.

“The PPP has decided that we ran this election on a manifesto based on issues of public importance […] we want to restore political stability and want to end this environment of political toxicity.

“To that end, the PPP will be willing to support the case of important votes — a candidate of the PM of Pakistan — and issue to issue basis to ensure that the government is formed and political stability is restored,” Bilawal said.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said the reality is that his party does not have a mandate to form a government in the federation.

“Due to this, I will not be putting myself forward for the candidacy of the prime minister of Pakistan,” he said, adding that PML-N and the independents have greater numbers in the Centre.

He further highlighted now that the PTI had refused to form a coalition with the PPP which left the PML-N as the only party that had invited the PPP to join the government.

PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is holding a press conference in Islamabad following a two-day long party meeting.

At the outset of the media talk, Bilawal said the current situation of the country, the political situation, the threat to political stability and the concerns regarding Pakistan reaching a crisis point were discussed in the meeting.

“PPP’s principle decision is to take Pakistan out of the current crisis,” he said.

PTI spokesperson Raoof Hassan has said party founder Imran Khan had given the go ahead to the party for the formation of the government with the Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen in the Centre and Punjab.

“And in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, for reserved seats, we will form a coalition with the Jamaat-i-Islami,” he said.

“Imran has a clear message that formation of a government is the right of who had won the elections,” he told a press conference in Islamabad. Hassan said “power wielders” must introspect their actions.

Aleem Khan, the sister of former premier Imran Khan, has said the PTI founder wants the votes “stolen from the PTI to be returned”.

“The entire world has acknowledged that rigging took place and it would be best that the PTI’s votes are returned, otherwise the people may take to the streets for their mandate,” Aleem said.

Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Society (PESS) President retired Lt Gen Abdul Qayyum has said candidates who contested the Feb 8 general elections must accept the results.

“If someone got a result against them, then they must sit in the opposition and there is no harm in it,” he told a presser in Islamabad.

Without naming anyone, Qayyum said: “You had taken to the streets before, derailed the system and attacked the military establishment but the results of all such actions are known to everyone.”

He said “innocent people” must not be misguided. “Election results must be accepted and the Election Commission of Pakistan and courts are proper forums, which must be approached if anyone has complaints.”

He also urged stakeholders not to “defame big institutions like the Pakistan Army and the judiciary”.

Barrister Ali Zafar has said the PTI would hold its intra-party elections within a week or 10 days.

“You must remember that intra-party elections were ready and the process is underway […] today, Khan sahib told us to speed up the process,” he said in a media talk outside Adiala Jail.

In response to questions, Barrister Zafar stated the Election Commission of Pakistan will have to “accept the intra-party polls”.

Barrister Gohar Khan has said PTI founder Imran Khan wants the party to form its “own government” whether it is in the Centre, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or Punjab.

“In KP, Ali Amin Gandapur has been nominated as the chief minister. In a day or two, we will also announce our candidates for the speaker and the deputy speaker,” he added.

Meanwhile, Barrister Ali Zafar said that keeping in view the “actual results of elections, the PTI is in a position to form a government today”.

Barrister Gohar Khan has given details of all the National Assembly seats allegedly won by the PTI in the February 8 elections. At a press conference, he said these details would also be provided in the form of a white paper.

• 3 seats in Islamabad
• 4 seats in Balochistan
• 115 seats in Punjab
• 16 seats in Sindh
• 42 seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

“This way, the PTI has won 180 seats in Pakistan and this is the public’s mandate. We will share the Form-45s in the form of a white paper,” Gohar said, adding that the mandate of the public should be respected.

“We request the judiciary and ECP take responsibility and announce a decision on this,” he added.

PTI’s Barrister Ali Zafar has said party founder Imran Khan wants the party to engage with all political parties apart from the PML-N, PPP and MQM-P.

In a press conference after meeting Imran at Adiala Jail, Zafar said: “Imran has told party leader to begin discussions on the formation of government, appointment of chief minister, prime minister and National Assembly speaker.”

“He has also told us about the parties with which the PTI will form alliances and the details will come forth soon before the nation,” he added.

PPP leader and former Sindh chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has called upon the Sindh-based Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) to accept its defeat in the Feb 8 polls, insisting that their candidates were not destined to win due to their “poor performance” in the past.

Speaking to journalists in Islamabad, Shah said the people of Sindh were still ardent followers of late PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He added that Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also deserved commendation for efficiently managing the party affairs.

PTI leader Asad Qaiser says he has filed a writ petition in the Islamabad High Court seeking permission to meet incarcerated party founder Imran Khan.

In a video statement on the social media platform X, Qaiser said he wanted to hold a discussion with Imran pertaining to the political situation in the country.

“At this point, Pakistan cannot afford further anarchy. The nation has chosen their leader and their mandate should be respected,” he said.

The PTI has said that respecting the public’s mandate is indispensable for the survival and strength of the state.

“By blatantly attacking the public mandate and forcibly sharing power among criminals, the gap between the state and the public will widen and weaken the state,” the party said in a statement on social media platform X.

The PTI claimed that the people, especially the young generation, had shown their trust in party founder Imran Khan in a “clear manner” and called for the immediate release of the former premier.

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has disposed of around 45 petitions of national and provincial assembly candidates challenging the tabulation of Form 47 for their respective constituencies, directing them to approach the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The SHC ordered the ECP to decide on all the petitions till February 22.

During the hearing, the state counsel argued that the pleas were unmaintainable while the ECP’s law officer said that a complaint cell had been established to deal with complaints about the election results.

Barrister Salahuddin, one of the counsels for the petitioners, urged the court to order the ECP to refrain from notifying the final winning candidates till their pleas had been decided.

Advocate Jibran Nasir asserted that returning officers were mandated to compile the results in the presence of the candidates.

In a post on X, Nasir said, “We have no faith in ECP whose mala fide is most glaring in the Shoaib Shaheen case where ECP gave him stay on Sunday and issued notification of his opposing candidate Tariq Fazal Chaudhary as winner on the same day.”

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has expressed his grief on the death of Abdul Aziz Junejo, who had won from K.N. Shah’s PS-80 in the February 8 general elections.

In a post on X, the PPP quoted Bilawal as calling Junejo a “senior politician and parliamentarian”.

“Abdul Aziz Junejo was a public figure, sympathetic to the poor and actively participated in social work,” the statement added.

According to Geo News, PTI founder Imran Khan has nominated the party’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president Ali Amin Gandapur for the role of the province’s chief minister.