Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan is on the verge of victory after millions of Pakistanis voted on Wednesday to elect a new government. In his first address to Pakistan after getting massive lead, Imran Khan talked of several key issues facing the nation including poverty and health issues. He also referred to the relations with China and India saying the country could follow China's example in many ways. He also said he was keen to fix ties with India.
The tense general election in Pakistan was marred by allegations of military interference and a series of deadly attacks. Up to 8 lakh police and military forces were stationed at more than 85,000 polling stations across the country as the voting took place. Wednesday's election was only the second democratic transition of power in Pakistan's 70-year coup-studded history. Pakistan is a country of approximately 207 million people, out of which the number of registered voters are about 106 million.
More than 3,000 candidates are contesting for 272 general seats of the National Assembly, while some 8,000 candidates ran for 577 general seats of the four provincial assemblies - Punjab, Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and Pak-occupied Balochistan. The three key parties contesting were former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) or PML-N, cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or PTI, and former (late) prime minister Benazir Bhutto's party Pakistan Peoples Party, which is being headed by her son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The contest is said to be a close one between Nawaz Sharif's party and Imran Khan's party. The counting of votes began soon after polling was concluded and results are expected to be announced within 24 hours. The Election Commission has blamed delays in the results on technical failures and promised to investigate complaints.
Here are the LIVE updates of the Pakistan General Election Result 2018:
#WATCH: PTI chief Imran Khan addresses the media in Islamabad. #PakistanElections2018 https://t.co/6Qb8AlhzZt
- ANI (@ANI) July 26, 2018
"400 petitions on rigging were filed after previous polls. I had vouched for the issue to be addressed for clean polls this time. We would assist and help investigate claims of rigging": Imran Khan
Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan also referred to India-Pak ties as he addressed Pakistan. Here are highlights
- "I really want to fix the India-Pakistan ties through dialogue"
- "The main issue between us is Kashmir but blame game can't continue forever"
- "Because of cricket, I want better ties with the neighbour country"
- "If India moves one step forward, we will move two"


"I want to thank all those people who braved the heat and all kinds of difficulties to strengthen our democracy," says Imran Khan as he addresses Pakistan. Here are highlights of his first speech after he secured massive lead in the general election.
- "I have seen Pakistan's rise and fall, its collapse"
- "I thank Allah for the struggle of 22 years has brought to me this place and given me a chance to make Pakistan that I dreamt of"
- "Allah had given me everything that I could have even done alright had I not entered politics"
"Yahaan Ka mausam badalnay wala hai, Yahaan koi aanay wala hai. Imran Khan to address the nation shortly"! #PrimeMinisterImranKhan pic.twitter.com/GUoPscTcTu
- PTI (@PTIofficial) July 26, 2018
That awkward moment where polling ended 17 hours ago but still no results released for any of the areas @BBhuttoZardari is standing from... #Elections2018 #Pakistan
- Bakhtawar B-Zardari (@BakhtawarBZ) July 26, 2018
A supporter of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) waves a party flag as he celebrates during the general election in Rawalpindi (Reuters)

ECP should give strict instructions for issuance of the Form 45. It completely failed in its main responsibility of holding a free, fair & transparent elections. A serious blow has been dealt to the democratic process of the country.
- Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) July 25, 2018
#PakistanElections2018 As per the rules, Election Commission of Pakistan officials are bound to provide results on Form 45, instead results were handed out on plain paper in Khi & Hyderabad. pic.twitter.com/cANGPAeUzU
- ANI (@ANI) July 26, 2018
Election Commission official Babar Yaqoob promised that all formal complaints would be investigated.
"If there are certain polling stations where they have any complaints, we should be approached. We will take action," Mr Yaqoob said.
But he said he had no knowledge of widespread problems.
"We're getting complaints that on some polling stations where certain parties are losing, their polling agents are leaving without taking the verified results," he said.
Imran Khan has staunchly denied allegations by PML-N that he is getting help from the military, which has ruled Pakistan for about half of its history and still sets key security and foreign policy in the nuclear-armed nation. The army has also dismissed allegations of meddling in the election.

Facing questions about the delay in posting official results, Pakistan Election Commission says 'result transmission service' has stopped, causing the delay.
"Result transmission service stopped working under pressure and has delayed results. Presiding officers have been asked to meet their returning officers, along with army officers assigned to their voting booths, with the results," Babar Yaqoob, ECP Secretary, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
ECP's Form 45 on left
- omar r quraishi (@omar_quraishi) July 25, 2018
ECP's Form 45 in Naya Pakistan on right pic.twitter.com/mba6LaQcN6
The third major party, the Pakistan Peoples Party, also complained that its polling agents were asked to leave during the vote count in a number of voting centres.
"This is the warning bell of a serious threat," said PPP senator Sherry Rehman. "This whole election could be null and void, and we don't want this."
Several smaller parties made similar complaints in public statements.

Mr Sharif's party has accused the military for weeks of attempting to throw the election to opposition figure Imran Khan, a former cricket star and anti-corruption crusader.
Shehbaz Sharif, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and brother of the ousted prime minister, early on Thursday rejected the counting process as results were still trickling out and no winner had been declared but projections showed a strong lead for Khan.
"We reject this result," Shehbaz Sharif said.


.@ImranKhanPTI's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ahead as votes are counted in Pakistan's high-stakes polls.
- NDTV (@ndtv) July 25, 2018
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