Poll figures hint end of Musharraf's rule
The results cast doubt on Musharraf's political future, who was re-elected to a five-year term last October in a controversial parliamentary ballot.
By Agencies |
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's ruling party conceded defeat on Tuesday after opposition parties routed allies of president Pervez Musharraf in parliamentary elections that could threaten the rule of America's close ally in the war on terrorism.
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who was ousted in Musharraf's 1999 coup, suggested the Pakistani president should listen to the verdict of the people in the Monday balloting and step down.
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, head of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, said ���we accept the results with an open heart��� and ���will sit on opposition benches in the new parliament.���
The results cast doubt on the political future of Musharraf, who was re-elected to a five-year term last October in a controversial parliamentary ballot.
According to latest unofficial figures the Pakistan People��� Party of slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and the Pakistan Muslim League faction of former premier Nawaz Sharif had so far won 153 seats, more than half of the 272-seat National Assembly.
The PPP had won 87 seats and the PML (S) 66 seats. The Pakistan Muslim League-Q party was a distant third with 38 seats. A ream of party stalwarts and former Cabinet ministers lost in their constituencies.
Final results were not expected before Wednesday evening. But the election���s outcome appeared to be a stinging public verdict on Musharraf���s rule after his popularity plummeted following his decisions late last year to impose emergency rule, purge the judiciary, jail political opponents and curtail press freedoms.
Sharif reminded reporters in Lahore on Tuesday that Musharraf had said he would step down when the people wanted him to do so. ���And now people have given their verdict,��� Sharif said, adding that political parties should ���work together to get rid of dictatorship.���
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who was ousted in Musharraf's 1999 coup, suggested the Pakistani president should listen to the verdict of the people in the Monday balloting and step down.
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, head of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, said ���we accept the results with an open heart��� and ���will sit on opposition benches in the new parliament.���
The results cast doubt on the political future of Musharraf, who was re-elected to a five-year term last October in a controversial parliamentary ballot.
According to latest unofficial figures the Pakistan People��� Party of slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and the Pakistan Muslim League faction of former premier Nawaz Sharif had so far won 153 seats, more than half of the 272-seat National Assembly.
The PPP had won 87 seats and the PML (S) 66 seats. The Pakistan Muslim League-Q party was a distant third with 38 seats. A ream of party stalwarts and former Cabinet ministers lost in their constituencies.
ADVERTISEMENT
Final results were not expected before Wednesday evening. But the election���s outcome appeared to be a stinging public verdict on Musharraf���s rule after his popularity plummeted following his decisions late last year to impose emergency rule, purge the judiciary, jail political opponents and curtail press freedoms.
Sharif reminded reporters in Lahore on Tuesday that Musharraf had said he would step down when the people wanted him to do so. ���And now people have given their verdict,��� Sharif said, adding that political parties should ���work together to get rid of dictatorship.���
Download
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
Download
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
ADVERTISEMENT
