Backlash feared in Pakistan
Political heavyweights who lost in their strongholds may band together.
Karachi: Political analysts in Pakistan fear choppy waters lie ahead for the politics in the country with several political heavyweights who have suffered defeat in their strongholds likely to band together amid allegations of rigging in the General elections.
The elections in Pakistan have produced some stunning upset results and many political parties who have suffered reversals continue to cry foul over the way the votes were counted and announced after long delays.
According to the unofficial results announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) so far, Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has won the majority seats (119) in the National Ass-embly to form the next government while a number of seasoned politicians suffered defeat in their traditional strongholds. “The next few days will be critical for Pakistan politics. Because if the political parties who have come second best to PTI get together and launch a combined protest over the results, it could be a big challenge for Khan and his party, analyst Omair Alavi said.
The PML-N has already rejected the poll results despite securing a respe-ctable 122 seats in the Pun-jab assembly and another 68 in national assembly until Thursday evening.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) parliamentarians are also crying foul particularly after their chairman, Bilawal Bhutto lost in one of their safest constituencies, Lyari area of Karachi to a PTI candidate. Religious parties like the Jamiat Ulema Islam (Maulana Fazlur Rehman), the Khadim Hussain Shah led Tehreek-e-Labaik have also alleged foul play in the counting of votes and have threatened agitation.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman an arch-rival of Khan and seasoned politician who also lost out in the polls has announced he will be inviting all parties for a conference soon to discuss the election results.
Bilawal Bhutto who also lost on a seat from Malakand in the KPK province, but managed to win in his ancestral Larkana constituency on Thursday to enter the parliament for the first time said there was a clear conspiracy to ensure he lost on all three seats.
“Our party leadership will convene on Friday to discuss the situation and announce our next step, Bilawal said after finishing behind the PTI and Pakistan Tehreek Labaik candidates in the final vote count.