Pakistan Election 2024: Need ‘stable hands’ and a ‘healing touch’ to move on, says Army chief

Pakistan needs to move on from the politics of "anarchy and polarisation", the country's army chief said Saturday, as the final results from a general election trickled in. He said, "The nation needs stable hands and a healing touch to move on from the politics of anarchy and polarisation, which does not suit a progressive country of 250 million people."

Pakistan needs to move on from the politics of "anarchy and polarisation", the country's army chief said Saturday, as the final results from a general election trickled in. Pakistan's political environment is heavily influenced by the military, as generals have ruled the nation for over half of its existence since its 1947 separation from India.

According to a military statement, General Syed Asim Munir stated, "The nation needs stable hands and a healing touch to move on from the politics of anarchy and polarization, which does not suit a progressive country of 250 million people."

Politicians and political parties rise and fall with the backing of the military, which this year was widely believed to be backing the party of three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Days of political horse trading await Pakistan as the last election results, which were declared on Saturday, revealed no obvious winner but rather a strong showing by independent candidates who support imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan.

However, following protracted delays in the announcement of the results, which gave rise to additional claims that the military establishment had manipulated the results, the army-backed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) declared victory as the majority party.

From the PML-N headquarters in Lahore, Nawaz Sharif delivered a victory speech. He then sent Shehbaz Sharif to negotiate a coalition with the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), the Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan (MQM-P), and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F).

Both sides claimed to have enough votes to establish governments in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Punjab in addition to the Centre.