In a momentous turn of events, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif claimed triumph in Pakistan's general election on Friday.
As the news reverberated across the globe, international observers from world capitals, including London, Washington, Abu Dhabi, Paris, and Brussels, watched with keen interest, recognising the significance of this electoral milestone in the South Asian region.
Sharif — a seasoned politician with a tumultuous past — emerged victorious under the banner of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), securing the largest share of the national vote, as declared by Pakistan's election commission.
The 74-year-old leader, flanked by his younger brother and former prime minister Shahbaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz, jubilantly announced his party's intention to form a government with the support of coalition partners.
Extending an olive branch to both small political parties and independent winners, Sharif invited them all to unite for the greater good of Pakistan — a South Asian country with a population of 240 million, the majority of whom are Muslim.
Sharif's political party had the largest share of votes in Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province, awarding him 70 seats in parliament — the second-largest share in the central government.
While Sharif's party won the most seats by a single party in Thursday's election, supporters of imprisoned PM contender Imran Khan, who ran as an independent instead of as a single bloc after his party was barred from the polls, won the most seats overall.
On their part, independent candidates secured 96 seats, and the Pakistan People's Party gained 53 seats. Sharif believes he is in a strong position to form a coalition government.
In Pakistan's parliamentary system, a party needs a simple majority of 169 seats out of 342 in the parliament to establish the national government.
The lower house, known as the National Assembly, elects the prime minister, who must also be an assembly member. Following a similar process, the four provincial assemblies also select their leaders and chief ministers.
Violence and election irregularities
Amidst the celebrations and political manoeuvres, human rights organisations and international watchdogs raised concerns over election meddling — particularly internet restrictions imposed as votes were cast and counted.
While the caretaker government justified these measures as necessary to combat potential security threats from terrorist elements, critics questioned the transparency and fairness of the electoral process.
Despite pockets of violence reported in certain regions, including deadly violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, Pakistan's armed forces said the elections were generally conducted peacefully.
