Twenty-one years of dogged effort has won for legendary cricket hero Imran Khan the biggest game of his life -- Prime Minister of Pakistan.
With counting still going on as of late Friday afternoon, the man accused of being a puppet of the Pakistan Armed Forces (the world's largest Muslim military force) declared his victory on the afternoon of July 26. His victory in this historic election, the third one where a new government was democratically elected, was marred by allegations of vote rigging by the armed forces on Khan's behalf.
Khan promises to build a "new Pakistan." In a televised address on Thursday Khan said that "thanks to God, we won and we were successful."
"If God wills, we will set an example."
The Election Commission of Pakistan hasn't released the official, final results but Khan has kept a commanding lead that is now unassailable. Projections by more than a dozen Pakistani TV stations based on official but partial results all declare a victory by Khan and the political party he founded, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). PTI is expected to win 119 of the 270 seats being contested in the National Assembly, the lower house.
During his televised address on Thursday, Khan offered an olive branch to the opposition. He said he was happy they want any constituency investigated tainted with irregularities. He promised not to exact revenge on the opposition.
The opposition, however, is dead set on demanding a recount of the votes. "It is the dirtiest election ever," declared Senator Mushahid Husain, a senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif, the brother and successor of ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, said "For even a 'sulah pasand' (conciliatory person/pacifist) like me, this is a bit too much. We reject this result."
Former cricket star turned politician Imran Khan has declared his party the winner of Pakistan's national election. The results aren't official yet, though, and dozens of rival candidates are saying the election was rigged.
Media reports agree the July 25 election was marred by violence. Several attacks, a number of them by ISIS, killed hundreds at campaign rallies in the weeks before election day.
The election commission already dismissed election meddling allegations as false. "There's no conspiracy," said election commission Secretary Babar Yaqoob.
But what is indisputable is the military's influence over this election. Since Pakistan's independence, the PAF has staged multiple coups that have successfully overthrown governments. Political analysts agree the PAF likely had a hand in directing the outcome of this election, as well.
As is to be expected, the military denied these charges. A PAF spokesperson called the interference allegations "malicious propaganda."
