Vote counting in Pakistan hit by unexpected delays after millions cast their ballot in controversial general election

By Sophia Saifi and Rhea Mogul, CNN

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) — Vote counting in Pakistan’s general election has been hit by unexpected delays after millions cast their ballot in a race in which old dynasties are vying for power while the country’s widely popular former leader languishes behind bars.

There had been no final result as of early Friday evening, more than 24 hours after polls closed. Pakistan’s Election Commission on Friday said it had given “instructions to ensure immediate declaration of results.”

With 156 out of the 266 contested seats counted, independent candidates were in the lead with 62 seats. The majority of the independents are affiliated with the party of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The much-anticipated vote, already delayed for months, comes as the country of 220 million faces mounting challenges – from economic uncertainty and frequent militant attacks, to climate catastrophes that are putting its most vulnerable at risk.

Police in Pakistan’s capital announced a ban on gatherings as vote counting continued. Islamabad police imposed Section 144 in the city, which prohibits gatherings of more than four people. “Legal action will be taken in case of any disturbance,” the police force wrote in a post on X on Friday.

Khan’s party earlier accused authorities of delaying results in an attempt to rig the vote, accusations they have denied.

“This is the second half of counting & the point when manipulation takes place,” Khan’s PTI said in a statement Thursday, adding it was “clearly leading” in 114 constituencies across the country.

Pakistan’s National Assembly consists of 336 seats, of which 266 are decided through direct voting on polling day.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan described the “lack of transparency” surrounding the delay in announcing the election results as “deeply concerning.”

“Moreover, we see no plausible reason to attribute this delay to any extraordinary circumstances that might justify it,” it said in a statement on X.

Analysts have described the vote as the least credible in the country’s post-independence history, accusing authorities of “pre-poll rigging” amid a wide crackdown on Khan’s party.

Former cricket star Khan, 71, who was ousted from power in a storm of controversy, remains imprisoned on multiple convictions and banned from contesting the vote against his rivals. The PTI has been prohibited from using its famous cricket bat symbol on ballots, dealing a blow to millions of illiterate people who might use it to cast their vote, and television stations are banned from running Khan’s speeches.

His longtime foe, veteran politician Nawaz Sharif, 74, a scion of the elite Sharif political dynasty, is seeking a historic fourth term as leader in what would be a remarkable political comeback following years of self-exile overseas after he was sentenced to prison on corruption charges.

Standing against him is Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the 35-year-old son of slain former leader Benazir Bhutto, seeking to reestablish his Pakistan People’s Party as a major political force.

The counting chaos came after Pakistani authorities suspended mobile internet services for more than 12 hours on the directives of the Interior Ministry. Violence also marred several districts across the country in the lead up to the vote.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres called for a “calm atmosphere” as votes continued to be counted.

“The Secretary-General continues to follow the situation in Pakistan closely…He notes with concern reports of incidents of violence and casualties, and the suspension of mobile communications services,” a statement issued by the UN Secretary-General’s Spokesperson said.

The Pakistan Armed Forces said 51 terrorist attacks took place in the country throughout the election season, mostly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, but “many potential threats were neutralized.”

In a vivid illustration of the surging political violence in the run up to the vote, 30 people were killed in twin blasts targeting campaign offices in the country’s restive Balochistan province on Wednesday, which the Islamic State Pakistan Province militant group claimed responsibility for.

Pakistan had been on high alert due to concerns regarding security on election day, with 650,000 security personnel deployed nationwide to ensure the safety of voters, according to the country’s information ministry. Military personnel and civil armed forces were deployed at “approximately 6,000 selected most sensitive polling stations,” according to the Pakistan Armed Forces.

And Mohsin Dawar, a former member of the Pakistani National Assembly, said Taliban militants had taken over polling stations in the country’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

“Militants have been issuing threats to the locals and to the polling staff,” he wrote in a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan Thursday, adding that three female polling agents “very narrowly escaped attacks” in a polling station.

Pakistan’s Interior Ministry said Thursday it had decided to temporarily suspend mobile internet services nationwide for security reasons while the elections were ongoing, drawing criticism from local activists as well as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Amnesty International. It later said mobile services were slowly being restored as of Thursday night, after the polls had closed.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Volker Türk, urged authorities to ensure a “fully free and fair vote” in a statement Tuesday.

“Elections are an important moment to reaffirm the country’s commitment to human rights and democracy, and to ensure the right to participation of all its people, including women and minorities,” OHCHR spokesperson Liz Throssell added.

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