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Pakistanis Brave Taliban Violence in a Landmark Vote Ex-Premier Is Set to Regain Power in Pakistan Vote
(about 5 hours later)
LAHORE, Pakistan — Pakistanis voted in parliamentary elections in high numbers on Saturday despite widespread Taliban violence, in balloting that carried historic prospects for the country’s often troubled democracy. LAHORE, Pakistan — Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, once a political exile deposed by the military, returned to the cusp of power on Saturday, taking a commanding lead in a parliamentary election in which Pakistanis braved Taliban intimidation to cast ballots with historic prospects for the country’s democracy.
Threats by the Taliban rebels to disrupt the day were borne out in attacks across the country that left at least 20 people dead, including at least 11 in a bombing in Karachi and others in the violence-torn province of Baluchistan, where turnout greatly suffered. Record turnout was reported in several cities, sparked by an energized political campaign dominated by the battle between Mr. Sharif and Imran Khan, the former cricket star whose appeal as an anticorruption crusader had many predicting he could play a kingmaker role.
Intensifying claims of vote irregularities in Karachi, the nation’s largest metropolis, led to the invalidation of results from dozens of specific polling places, Pakistani officials said. Even with just partial returns in early Sunday, however, Mr. Sharif’s party appeared to have secured enough seats to form a government easily. His supporters ran cheering through the streets of Lahore, honking horns and, in some instances, firing bursts of celebratory gunfire.
Record turnout was reported in several cities, and poll times were extended to accommodate it. It was a reflection of an energized political campaign season dominated by the battle between the party leaders Nawaz Sharif, a former prime minister who has emphasized economic improvements, and Imran Khan, a sports star who became a political phenomenon on the strength of an anticorruption crusade. But while the raucous election highlighted the vibrancy of Pakistani politics, it also highlighted the gaping holes in the country’s democracy.
Despite making much of their differences, both men hold basically conservative political visions, and both promised to rein in the United States’ influence in Pakistan. Threats by the Taliban to disrupt voting were borne out in attacks across the country that left at least 21 people dead, including at least 11 in a bombing in Karachi and others in Baluchistan Province, where turnout greatly suffered.
Accusations of widespread vote irregularities in Karachi, the nation’s largest metropolis, led to the invalidation of results from dozens of specific polling places, Pakistani officials said. Final election results are likely to wait for days.
Even if Mr. Sharif faces no obstacles in forming a government, he will then face a stalled economy, profound infrastructure failure, and grave threats from an emboldened Taliban insurgency. Furthermore, he has promised to rein in American influence in Pakistan, leaving questions about the countries’ often-stormy relationship.
The election was Pakistan’s 10th since 1970 but the first in which a civilian government that has served a full five-year term is poised to peacefully hand power to another elected government.The election was Pakistan’s 10th since 1970 but the first in which a civilian government that has served a full five-year term is poised to peacefully hand power to another elected government.
Unlike previous elections, in which the military’s Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate was widely accused of vote manipulation and intimidation, this one offered little evidence of involvement by the military, which has ruled Pakistan directly for more than half its 66-year history.Unlike previous elections, in which the military’s Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate was widely accused of vote manipulation and intimidation, this one offered little evidence of involvement by the military, which has ruled Pakistan directly for more than half its 66-year history.
Instead, the country was gripped by election fever in recent weeks, most of it driven by the contest between Mr. Sharif and Mr. Khan. Although Mr. Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-N party was favored to win the most seats in Parliament, it was unlikely to gain a majority thanks to an aggressive challenge from Mr. Khan in Punjab Province. Instead, the country was gripped by election fever, most of it driven by the contest between Mr. Sharif and Mr. Khan. In the final days of campaigning, the momentum appeared to be with Mr. Khan, who electrified voters with a series of mass rallies that tapped into a deep vein of support among young and middle-class Pakistanis in urban areas.
Mr. Khan electrified the campaign in recent weeks with a series of mass rallies that tapped into a deep vein of support among young and middle-class Pakistanis in urban areas. Public sympathy for the former cricket star rose after he fell nearly 15 feet to the ground at a rally on Tuesday, injuring his back. His ratings rose further after he fell nearly 15 feet to the ground at a rally in Lahore on Tuesday, badly injuring his back but winning widespread public sympathy.
Two nights later, Mr. Khan delivered his final campaign address, speaking from his hospital bed via video link, to a crowd of frenzied supporters in central Islamabad, the capital. His chances of success on Saturday depended, in part, on his ability to persuade young Pakistanis — 25 million under age 30 were eligible to vote — to stand in line in the heat. But as the results flooded in late Saturday, and television projections gave Mr. Sharif up to 119 of the 268 elected seats on offer, against just 33 for Mr. Khan, promises of a revolutionary “tsunami” led by the former cricket player appeared to have vanished.
That was certainly the case in the wealthier neighborhoods of Lahore, where youthful supporters honked car horns, danced in the streets and waved giant flags bearing Mr. Khan’s image or party colors. That result signaled a victory of sorts for old-style dynastic politics: the Sharifs have dominated Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province, since the 1980s, and have cultivated voters for the past five years through development projects financed by the provincial government, which they controlled.
The results will also have implications for the United States, which is enjoying a relatively peaceful stretch in its often stormy relationship with Pakistan in recent years. The other loser was President Asif Ali Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party, which led the last government but now seems destined to the opposition benches. Mr. Khan, however, was poised to capture a valuable consolation prize, one with potentially sharp implications for American policy: control of the provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, along the Afghan border.
Mr. Sharif, a conservative and a steel baron, came to American attention during Pakistan’s tense confrontation with India in 1999, when the possibility of a nuclear conflict was averted thanks to mediation by President Bill Clinton. During his campaign rallies, Mr. Khan stridently said he would end C.I.A. drone strikes in the tribal belt, by ordering the Pakistani military to shoot down American aircraft if necessary. And he has said he believes that the Pakistani state should negotiate with Taliban insurgents, not fight them.
A nationalist by inclination, Mr. Sharif hinted on the campaign trail that he would seek to redraw Pakistan’s relationship with the United States and negotiate with the Taliban rebels, but offered few specifics. Still, it is Mr. Sharif who is likely to have the greatest impact on relations with the United States. A nationalist by inclination, Mr. Sharif, while publicly amenable to reaching out to the Americans, has also hinted that he was open to negotiating with Taliban rebels in the northwest — a stance that would greatly concern American officials as they try to withdraw from an Afghan war next door that has featured many cross-border attacks by those insurgents.
Mr. Khan’s ideas were more defined: he vowed to end C.I.A. drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal belt by ordering the Pakistani military to shoot down American aircraft if necessary, and said he believed that the state should negotiate with Taliban insurgents, not fight them. A conservative and a steel baron, Mr. Sharif’s political career was incubated by a military dictator, Gen. Mohammad Zia ul-Haq, in the mid-1980s. But he turned against the generals after his ouster at the hands of Gen. Pervez Musharraf in 1999, which resulted in a long exile in Saudi Arabia; since then many military men have viewed Mr. Sharif with suspicion.
He first came to American attention during Pakistan’s tense confrontation with India in 1999, when the possibility of a nuclear conflict was averted thanks to mediation by President Bill Clinton.
The election evoked a rare sense of enthusiasm for politics in Pakistan. About 4,670 candidates fought for 272 directly elected seats in Parliament, while almost 11,000 people battled for the four provincial assemblies. Aside from more traditional politicians, they included astrologers, openly transgender candidates, former models and the first female candidates in the tribal belt along the Afghan border.The election evoked a rare sense of enthusiasm for politics in Pakistan. About 4,670 candidates fought for 272 directly elected seats in Parliament, while almost 11,000 people battled for the four provincial assemblies. Aside from more traditional politicians, they included astrologers, openly transgender candidates, former models and the first female candidates in the tribal belt along the Afghan border.
Also standing for election were dozens of candidates from Sunni sectarian groups, some with links to violent attacks on minority Shiites. Also running were dozens of candidates from Sunni sectarian groups, some with links to violent attacks on minority Shiites.
Mr. Khan’s campaign, in particular, had a carnival atmosphere, because it drew so many young urban Pakistanis into politics, many of them first-time voters. In the wealthier neighborhoods of Lahore on Saturday, supporters honked car horns, danced in the streets and waved giant flags bearing Mr. Khan’s image.
But the sense of a vibrant, if flawed, democracy was tempered by Taliban attacks throughout the campaigning. The militant movement’s ability to derail wide tracks of the campaign, particularly in the mountainous northwest, was taken as a signal that it has evolved beyond its nihilistic guerrilla roots and has become a powerful political insurgency bent on upending Western-style democracy in Pakistan.But the sense of a vibrant, if flawed, democracy was tempered by Taliban attacks throughout the campaigning. The militant movement’s ability to derail wide tracks of the campaign, particularly in the mountainous northwest, was taken as a signal that it has evolved beyond its nihilistic guerrilla roots and has become a powerful political insurgency bent on upending Western-style democracy in Pakistan.
Campaigning was further marred Thursday when Ali Haider Gilani, the 27-year-old son of former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, was shot and kidnapped by unidentified gunmen as he addressed a campaign event in the city of Multan, in southern Punjab Province.Campaigning was further marred Thursday when Ali Haider Gilani, the 27-year-old son of former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, was shot and kidnapped by unidentified gunmen as he addressed a campaign event in the city of Multan, in southern Punjab Province.
Two guards who tried to protect Mr. Gilani were shot dead; the candidate was reportedly left bleeding from a gunshot wound as he was dragged into a vehicle and driven away. Two guards who tried to protect Mr. Gilani were shot dead; the candidate was reportedly bleeding from a gunshot wound as he was dragged into a vehicle and driven away.
In a statement on Friday, the Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud ordered his commanders to attack the “infidel system” of democracy, warning that teams of suicide bombers would hit targets across the country.In a statement on Friday, the Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud ordered his commanders to attack the “infidel system” of democracy, warning that teams of suicide bombers would hit targets across the country.
At least 20 people were reported killed in attacks across Pakistan on Saturday, among them a gunfight and an attack on a polling station in the western province of Baluchistan and two explosions in the northwest, including in Peshawar, that injured several people. The deadly bombing in Karachi appeared to have been directed at a candidate from the Awami National Party, one of three secular-leaning parties that have borne the brunt of Taliban attacks that have killed at least 110 people in the last month. At least 21 people were reported killed in attacks across Pakistan on Saturday, among them a gunfight and an attack on a polling place in the western province of Baluchistan and two explosions in the northwest, including in Peshawar, that injured several people. The deadly bombing in Karachi appeared to have been directed at a candidate from the Awami National Party, one of three secular-leaning parties that have borne the brunt of Taliban attacks that have killed at least 125 people in the last month.
The police established new checkpoints and military helicopters patrolled the skies in Peshawar, the city that has been worst hit by militant violence over the years. Hospital workers were put on alert while billboards across the city asked citizens to watch for suspicious activity.The police established new checkpoints and military helicopters patrolled the skies in Peshawar, the city that has been worst hit by militant violence over the years. Hospital workers were put on alert while billboards across the city asked citizens to watch for suspicious activity.
After a slow start to polling, large numbers of voters emerged by midmorning, including many women. About 300 women in burqas stood in line outside the Lady Griffith High School, where policemen warned photographers not to take the women’s picture. After a slow start to voting, large numbers of voters emerged by midmorning, including many women. About 300 women in burqas stood in line outside the Lady Griffith High School, where policemen warned photographers not to take pictures of the women.
One of the women, Saba Iqbal, a 35-year-old doctor, said she was going to vote for Mr. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. One of the women, Saba Iqbal, 35, a doctor, said she was going to vote for Mr. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.
“I never voted before,” she said, “but this time I want to be part of Imran Khan’s change.”“I never voted before,” she said, “but this time I want to be part of Imran Khan’s change.”
Later, Mr. Khan’s party claimed two parliamentary seats in Peshawar — one for himself and one for a colleague who defeated Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, 73, a stalwart of the Awami National Party. Mr. Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party found itself badly overshadowed in the race after a lackluster and leaderless campaign.
President Asif Ali Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party, which led the last government, found itself badly overshadowed in the race after a lackluster and leaderless campaign. The party developed a poor reputation for governance as the economy faltered in recent years and ministers failed to reverse crippling power shortages. Among the party kingpins who lost their seats on Saturday was Raja Pervez Ashraf, the last prime minister, who suffered a crushing loss to a candidate from Mr. Sharif’s party. 
The party developed a poor reputation for governance as the economy faltered in recent years and ministers failed to reverse crippling power shortages that have caused misery in homes and hardship for industrialists. On Saturday, there were signs that voters may punish party stalwarts for their failings. There were also signs of irregularities like those that tainted some past votes. At least one party, Jamaat-e-Islami, withdrew its candidates from Karachi and Hyderabad to protest alleged rigging of the election at different polling places.
There were also signs of irregularities like those that tainted some past votes. At least one party, Jamaat-e-Islami, withdrew its candidates from Karachi and Hyderabad to protest alleged rigging of the election at different polling stations. Officials blamed the Muttahida Quami Movement party, which has traditionally dominated the city. A senior official with the Jamaat called for a peaceful strike on Monday to protest reported vote rigging in the city.
“The voters of J.I. are being frightened and harassed by MQM armed activists in different parts of the city,” said Muhammad Hussain Mehanti, the party’s chief in Karachi, referring to the party MQM, which has traditionally dominated the city. He called for a peaceful strike on Monday to protest alleged vote rigging in the city. Prominent officials of both Mr. Zardari’s and Mr. Sharif’s parties lodged similar accusations, saying they would reject some results in Karachi.
Prominent officials of both Mr. Zardari’s and Mr. Sharif’s parties also lodged accusations of vote rigging in Karachi, saying they would reject results there.
After polls closed, the Election Commission of Pakistan said that its staff had been threatened in the city, but that the voting had generally gone well.After polls closed, the Election Commission of Pakistan said that its staff had been threatened in the city, but that the voting had generally gone well.

Salman Masood contributed reporting from Gujar Khan, Pakistan; Zia ur-Rehman from Karachi, Pakistan; and Ihsanullah Tipu Mehsud from Peshawar, Pakistan.

Salman Masood contributed reporting from Gujar Khan, Pakistan; Zia ur-Rehman from Karachi, Pakistan; and Ihsanullah Tipu Mehsud from Peshawar, Pakistan.