#PakistanElections2018 : Imran Khan claims victory and thanks nation; eyes on trade with India
Islamabad, July 27: A cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan who is also a chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday claimed victory in the country’s 11th general elections.
Notably, the latest results show that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has so far won 104 seats, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz- 57 and Pakistan Peoples Party -25 in the country’s 11th general elections which were held on Wednesday. Among others, Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal won 11 seats, Muttahida Qaumi Movement 5 and 11 independent. However, the counting of votes are still in progress.
In a televised speech in Islamabad, Imran Khan said, "We were successful and we were given a mandate," adding that he came to politics because he wanted Pakistan to become the country that Jinnah had envisioned. "I want to thank Allah for this opportunity to serve the nation. Through its ups and downs- I am grateful for being given this chance," he added.
Stressing on the country’s development, Imran Khan said, "If we want to have a poverty-free subcontinent then we must have good relations and trade ties. The core issue is Kashmir. We need to resolve this. Blame game should end."
“Kashmiris have been suffering for long. If India's leadership is willing then the both of us can solve this issue through dialogue. It will be good for the subcontinent also," the former cricketer said. "I was saddened by the way Indian media recently projected me. They portrayed me as a Bollywood villain. I am one of those Pakistanis who wants good relations with India," he concluded.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s party workers from across the country are celebrating the results while the PML-N flatly rejected the ongoing outcome, citing "outright rigging" and accusing officials of preventing its representatives from overseeing the count.
On Wednesday, polling began at 8 AM across the country's 85,307 polling stations and continued until 6 PM. Polling took place was held for members of the lower house of Parliament and four provincial assemblies. As many as 12,570 candidates contested for a total of 849 seats of national and provincial assemblies in the country's 11th General Election.
The election campaign was marred by violence with three candidates killed in targetted attacks and culminated with a suicide blast outside a polling station in Quetta which claimed at least 29 lives. A party can form the government if it manages to clinch 172 seats out of the total 342. A single party will need at least 137 of the 272 directly-elected seats to be able to form the government on its own.