Overview
- PTI-backed candidates led initial tallies, yet PML-N secured PPP support to nominate Shehbaz Sharif as prime minister for a minority arrangement.
- PPP signaled it will not take cabinet posts, while party leader Asif Ali Zardari is slated to become president under the deal reported by Reuters.
- Imran Khan remains jailed with fresh sentences that disqualify him from office, and his party faced extensive curbs throughout the campaign.
- Nationwide mobile and internet shutdowns on election day and delayed counts drew warnings from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan about transparency.
- The incoming setup inherits severe pressures, including an expiring IMF program, high inflation, energy shortfalls, and elevated terrorism risks, as analysts spotlight the military’s sway over politics.