Allies of jailed ex-leader Imran Khan win most seats in Pakistan election

Pakistan faces weeks of political uncertainty after jailed former PM Imran Khan’s party took the most seats in the national polls.

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s party has defied a months-long crackdown, which crippled campaigning and forced candidates to run as independents, to emerge as the winners at the national elections.

According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, independent candidates most linked to Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party took the most seats in the polls, ruining the chances of the army-backed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to win a ruling majority.

However, independents cannot form a government and the country faces weeks of political uncertainty as rival parties negotiate possible coalitions.

None of the three major parties of the country will win the necessary 169 seats to have a majority in parliament and, therefore, will be unable to form government on their own, leaving it unclear who will be picked to be the country’s next prime minister.

PTI leaders claim they would have won even more seats if it wasn’t for vote rigging.

Supporters of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party protest against the alleged skewing in Pakistan's national election results. Picture: AFP

A nationwide election-day mobile telephone blackout and the slow counting of results led to suspicions the military establishment was influencing the process to ensure success for former premier Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N.

“Throughout Pakistan, elections were manipulated in a subtle way … The people have decided in favour of Imran Khan,” PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan said, while calling on supporters to “protest peacefully” on Sunday local time.

Police were forced to fire tear gas to disperse supporters of Khan outside election offices where they said rigging had taken place in last week’s national vote.

Clashes were reported in Rawalpindi city, south of the capital, and Lahore, in the east, while dozens of other protests were held across the country without incident.

Police warned earlier they would come down hard on illegal gatherings. There were no immediate reports of injuries from the protests.

The former cricket star was also jailed in 2007 for criticising Pakistan’s then military ruler President General Pervez Musharraf for imposing emergency rule in the country.

KHAN JAILED

The shock election victory comes after Khan was sentenced to 14 years in jail and another 10-year prison term, in dual verdicts handed down a week before the national elections.

Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were found guilty of graft in a case involving gifts received while the cricket legend was premier. It comes after he received 10 years in a separate case related to leaking state secrets.

Since being ousted in 2022, Khan has been buried by court cases he claims have been triggered to prevent his return to office after a campaign of defiance against Pakistan’s military kingmakers.

The 71-year-old had accused the powerful military — with whom he ruled in partnership for much of his tenure — of orchestrating his ouster in a US-backed conspiracy.

Khan at a campaign rally in Islamabad. Picture: AFP

The former cricket captain was detained last August after the military accused him of leaking state secrets by sharing the contents of a cable sent by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Khan allegedly waved the cable at a rally in Islamabad, claiming it was proof of a conspiracy by the Pakistani military and US government to remove him from power.

“You have to take revenge for every injustice with your vote on February 8,” Khan said in a statement posted on his X profile.

“Tell them that we are not sheep that can be driven with a stick.”

Khan was disqualified from standing over a previous graft conviction, one of dozens of court challenges he says have been orchestrated to prevent his return to office after a campaign of defiance against Pakistan’s military officials.

Khan in Lahore last May before he was detained. Picture: AFP

Khan was known as the Lion of Lahore during his cricketing days and at the height of his fame he gained a reputation as a playboy on the London nightclub scene.

The charismatic star was the captain of the Pakistan national cricket team through the 1980s and early ‘90s.

The conviction for leaking classified state documents was handed down inside Adiala jail, where the cricketer turned Islamist politician has been confined for much of the time since his August arrest.

The same sentence was given to Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the former PTI vice-chairman who served as foreign minister during Khan’s four-year premiership ending in 2022.

The former Pakistan prime minister was convicted for leaking classified documents. Picture: AFP

PTI lawyers said they were ousted from the proceedings, denying their leaders fair representation.

“This is unconstitutional, this is against the principles of natural justice,” barrister Salman Safdar said.

“This is a murder of justice,” said Tauseef Ahmed Khan, a rights activist and political analyst. “But his popularity among the people will grow in leaps and bounds as his sympathisers will increase.”

When Khan was first arrested in May last year, riots broke out across the country.

Imran Khan with Elizabeth Hurley during their visit at the earthquake-affected area in Pakistan’s Balakot in 2006. Picture: AFP

The Pakistani cricket star-turned-politician with his first wife Jemima, the daughter of British billionaire James Goldsmith.

But his street power was killed by a military crackdown which saw thousands of supporters detained — 100 of whom are facing closed-door military trials — and dozens of senior leaders forced underground.

Khan had accused the powerful military — with whom he ruled in partnership for much of his tenure — of orchestrating his ousting in a US-backed conspiracy.

He touted diplomatic cables as apparent proof of his claim, prompting his prosecution under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act which resulted in Tuesday’s sentence.

He also alleged the top brass plotted an assassination bid which wounded him, but failed to provide any evidence.