The US and the UK expressed serious concerns about the fairness of the Pakistan parliamentary elections as former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan both claimed victory with no clear results in sight.
Jailed former prime minister Mr Khan claimed victory in an audio-visual message created using artificial intelligence hours after rival Nawaz Sharif did so.
The US Department of State, the UK, and the European Union separately expressed concerns about Pakistan’s electoral process.
UK foreign minister David Cameron raised concerns about the “fairness and lack of inclusivity” of the elections. The US State Department called for an investigation into “claims of election interference or fraud in Pakistan”.
Several US parliamentarians also echoed statements by the Department of State urging for a probe into the electoral process.
Independent candidates backed by Khan won the most seats in the National Assembly, despite his being in jail and his party being barred from the polls.
Mr Sharif said he would seek to form a coalition government after his party trailed the independents. Any party needs 133 seats in parliament for a simple majority.
Pakistan’s army chief Gen Asim Munir said the country needs “stable hands” and a “healing touch” to move on from the politics of “anarchy and polarisation.”
