TRANSCRIPT
Candidates backed by the party of jailed Pakistani opposition leader Imran Khan plan to form a government.
The South Asian nation of 241 million people voted on Thursday in a general election, as the country struggles to recover from an economic crisis and battles militant violence in a deeply polarised political environment.
Both Mr Khan and his main rival, three-time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, declared victory increasing uncertainty over who will form the next government.
The results mean the parties must enter coalition talks, only prolonging the instability.
Aleema Khan, Imran Khan's sister, tells SBS she's confident Pakistanis want Mr Khan as their leader and will prevail.
"I think Imran Khan predicted months ago, that when people make a decision that they want change, there is nothing that can stop them."
In Thursday's vote, no political party gained a simple majority and independent candidates backed by imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan took a lead in the vote count.
It forced Mr Khan's main rival, three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, to announce plans to try to form a coalition government.
Mr Khan was disqualified from running because of criminal convictions.
Candidates backed by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, won 100 out of the 266 seats up for grabs in the National Assembly.
Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League party captured 71 seats.
Pakistani supporters and party members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami have protested outside the election commission office in Karachi, following allegations of rigging in the country's general elections.
Supporters carried party flags and called for justice.
Ms Khan tells SBS of the plight of her imprisoned brother and sheds light on why she disputes the election result.
"We need to hold fair and free elections. That's all he [[Imran Khan]] ever asked for. He has gone through a lot over the past nine months. He's in jail. He's got 202 cases on him. And him being incarcerated. They thought he is they dismantled his party, they removed his top tier leadership then they removed the secondary that threatened them. They put them into other parties. That was pre poll. Then before the elections they removed the bat symbol, you have to keep in mind that 15 million people in Pakistan cannot read they depend on a symbol. He had a bat as a symbol, and then they vote on a symbol they cannot read."
Fiza Zeeshan was among those protesting.
“They have stolen our mandate. We are going to get stay orders from courts on the basis of form 47. The notification of anyone’s success should not be issued. No candidate can take oath. We do not accept this. Those who are doing this are inviting the wrath of the masses. They have rigged the election all over the country, particularly Karachi. Karachi will never accept this.”
Pakistan hit back at criticism over the conduct of its parliamentary elections, which were held amid sporadic militant attacks and an unprecedented stoppage of all mobile phone services.
The strongly worded reaction from the Foreign Ministry insisted the vote was peaceful and successful.
A Commonwealth observer group praised voters in Pakistan for their patience during the country's elections.
Dr Goodluck Jonathan is chairperson of the Commonwealth Observer Group.
“We congratulate the people of Pakistan for their patience and (inaudible) throughout the electoral process. Notwithstanding the challenges noted citizens turned out to exercise their right to vote on election day."
Mr Jonathan says the observers are looking into whether the elections were conducted with transparency.
"We as the election observers are expected to be extremely neutral and for us to make a comment that elections are not transparent, we must be very sure of that fact and we're still looking into the facts."
