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Pakistan elections

Pakistan's Sharif eyes coalition amid rival claims of election victory

Khan hails PTI win via AI as controversial polls point to more instability

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif delivers a victory speech at the office of his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in Lahore on Feb. 9.   © Reuters

ISLAMABAD -- Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party aims to form a coalition government after elections marred by violence, allegations of unfair play and competing claims of victory.

Results of Thursday's vote were initially expected by 1 a.m. local time on Friday but were still being tallied on Saturday. By around 4:30 a.m., it was clear that no single party would win an outright majority of the 265 contested National Assembly seats. The election commission's provisional results for 250 constituencies showed the PML-N winning 71, while independents -- most of them backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan -- had 99.

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