Pakistan's Khan leads as election results delayed, opponents cry foul

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistani cricket hero-turned-politician Imran Khan, President of Nawaz Sharif, rejected the count as "blatantly" rigged.

With just 30 percent of the total vote counted, the Pakistan Election Commission had Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leading party in 113 of 272 contested National Assembly constituencies.

Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was ahead in 66 constituencies, and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), led by the assassinated two-time prime minister Benazir Bhutto, led in 39 constituencies.

An official at the Election Commission said early on Thursday that final results had been delayed by technical failures.

"There is no conspiracy, nor any pressure in delay of the results. The delay is being caused because of the result of the system has collapsed, "secretary Babar Yaqoob told reporters.

Khan's camp was more likely to win the election, but it was still less likely to be held in the National Assembly.

Khan's party spokesman, Fawad Chaudhry, tweeted "Congratulations to the nation on a new Pakistan! Prime Minister Imran Khan ", his party has officially been declared.

Wednesday's voting was a suicide bombing that killed people in a polling station in Quetta, capital of the southwestern province of Baluchistan. Islamic State will responsibility responsibility.

Pakistan election: tmsnrt.rs/2LMxD5b

"INTOLERABLE"

Thursday's election of the second civilian in Pakistan's 71-year history.

But this campaign has been attempted by the authorities in the past, and it has gone to hell with the outgoing ruling party of Sharif, who has been jailed on corruption charges this month.

The PML-N had sought to have a referendum on democracy, and had said it was safe to protect the "sanctity of the vote", a reference to a history of political interference by the military.

Early on Thursday, Sharif's Shehbaz brother, who now leads the PML-N, rejected the results of complaints by soldiers stationed in polling stations had thrown out polls of political parties during the counting.

About 371,000 soldiers were stationed at polling stations across the country in the last year.

The PML-N and the PPP both said their monitors in many voting centers had not received the official notifications of the precinct's results, but instead they have not checked.

"It is a sheer rigging. The way the people's mandate is blatantly been insulted, it is intolerable, "Shehbaz told a news conference as the counting continued.

"We totally reject this result," he said. "It is a big shock to Pakistan's democratic process."

The PPP also complained that its polling agents were asked to leave a vote.

"This is the warning of a serious threat," said PPP senator Sherry Rehman. "1965, may we not want this."

"WE WILL TAKE ACTION"

Election official Yaqoob promised that all formal complaints would be investigated.

"If there are certain polling stations where they have any complaints, we should be approached. We will take action, "Yaqoob said.

But he said he had no knowledge of widespread problems.

"We're getting some complaints that some parts are losing their polling agents," he said.

Khan has staunchly denied allegations by PML-N that he is getting help from the military, which has rushed out of control. The army has also dismissed allegations of meddling in the election.

Pakistan's new government will be forced to deal with the crisis in the United States to deepen cross-country water shortages.

An anti-corruption crusader, Khan has promised an "Islamic welfare state" and cast his populist campaign to a predatory political elite Hindering development in the impoverished mostly-Muslim nation of 208 million people, where the illiteracy rate hovers above 40 percent.

If Khan's lead holds, his party will likely be able to form a government with smaller parties, avoiding the prospect of weeks of haggling.

Such a delay might be more important than Pakistan's economy since 2013. PTI has not ruled out seeking success from China, Islamabad's closest ally.