As per the latest trends, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has emerged as the single-largest party but is trailing behind the independent candidates, mostly backed by Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI).

Pakistan Elections: Nawaz Sharif, the three-time prime minister of Pakistan on Friday claimed that his party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has emerged as the single-largest party and wants to lead the country to prosperity while developing peaceful relations with the neighbouring countries. He said this while the counting in the Pakistan general elections is still underway the elections for which were held on Thursday.

As per the latest trends, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has emerged as the single-largest party but is trailing behind the independent candidates, mostly backed by Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI).

“I can see the spark of happiness in your eyes. This spark is asking for mending an ‘injured’ Pakistan. It is calling for development to transform Pakistan into a beautiful country,” said Sharif while addressing a huge rally in Lahore on Friday as he vowed to develop schools and hospitals in the country and work towards combating inflation and unemployment in the crisis-stricken country.

“We have to do such work that no one should feel the pain while paying the electricity, gas bills, or while purchasing petrol, diesel, paying the school fees. There should be employment for the people. We will distribute laptops for students, build schools and toilets, and give free medicines in hospitals,” Sharif said.

In a veiled reference to India, Sharif also vowed that he wants peaceful relations with everyone, including the neighbours.

“The light will return, unemployment will be eradicated, and the poor will be able to. The country’s situation will improve. And we want our relations to remain good with the world as well as with our neighbours. We will improve our relations with them and resolve our differences,” he added.

The former PM further said that PML-N has emerged as the single-largest party in the elections and he looks forward to working for the country and respecting the mandate of everyone, including the independent candidates.

“With the grace of God, PML-N has emerged as the single-largest party in the elections. It is our responsibility to take the country out of this trap. We have done this before, and today, again we are vowing to do the same. We respect the mandate of all the parties, whether they are parties or independent candidates. We invite them to join us for the country. Our agenda is only a prosperous Pakistan,” said Sharif as he added, “You all know about PML-N’s track record. If he had carried on with the momentum that we generated in the 1990s, today Pakistan would have been a huge power. Even today no one can see us with an evil eye because we are a nuclear power.”

He urged his cadre and party leaders to work with devotion and resolve the issues of their people.

Earlier in the day, Nawaz Sharif won from the NA-130 constituency in Lahore with 1,71,024 votes. However, in a major upset, he lost in the NA-15 constituency in Mansehra against PTI-backed independent Gustasap Khan, according to ARY News.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has released the latest provisional results according to which the independent candidates, mostly backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) are leading with 58 seats while Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) which has emerged as the single largest party, is trailing with 34 seats, followed by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) with 34 seats.

(With ANI inputs)