(Daily Point) — Voting in Pakistan’s 2024 general elections concluded as scheduled at 5 pm on Thursday, with the unveiling of ballot box seals marking the beginning of result announcements. While the definitive victor remains uncertain, a clearer picture is gradually emerging.
The election witnessed a mix of closely contested races and landslide victories, with several surprising outcomes as time progresses.
Preliminary and unofficial results suggest that independent candidates, many of whom were supported by PTI, secured significant wins, particularly in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. By 2 am Friday morning, an Aaj News tally based on unofficial results accounted for a total of 79 victories.
Nevertheless, these results are based on vote counts from a limited number of polling stations, with a comprehensive tally still pending.
PMLN and PPP have emerged as major contenders, each securing nearly 30 national seats, while PTI faced disqualification due to its failure to conduct intra-party elections in accordance with ECP regulations.
With the vote count in 164 national constituencies offering only a partial view of the election outcome, significant upsets were reported. Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari lost the NA-127 seat to PMLN’s Atta Tarar, Maulana Fazlur Rehman lost NA-44 in Dera Ismail Khan to Ali Amin Gandapur, and JI’s Sirajul Haq was defeated by an independent candidate in NA-6 Lower Dir, among others.
In KP, PMLN’s Amir Muqam and PTI’s Salman Akram Raja faced setbacks, while PPP’s Yousaf Raza Gilani and PML-N’s Hanif Abbasi encountered tough competition in Multan’s NA-148 and Rawalpindi’s NA-56 respectively.
Election result dissemination slowed down by 2 pm Friday, following electoral rules allowing Returning Officers to pause reporting until the following day.
Key battlegrounds included NA-128 in Lahore, where PTI-backed Salman Akram Raja contested against Khawaja Saad Rafique, and in Sindh, where PMLN’s Bashir Memon narrowly led PPP’s Makhdoom Jamil uz Zaman.
The Election Commission of Pakistan expressed confidence in timely completion and announcement of results.
For detailed constituency-wise updates and graphical representation, readers can access the live results page and interactive maps provided.
The provisional results indicate a continuation of traditional party stronghold dynamics, with independent candidates leading in KP, PPP retaining influence in Sindh, and Punjab witnessing intense competition between PTI-backed independents and PMLN candidates.
