Sharif’s Muslim League Leads in Landmark Pakistani Vote

Nawaz Sharif said his Pakistan Muslim League had won the most seats in a landmark election and would return to power, as state-run television and other media broadcast unofficial counts supporting his claim.

Sharif, 63, was winning 127 of 272 directly elected seats in the 342-member lower house of parliament, according to the tally by Pakistan Television. Imran Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf emerged as a political force, leading in 34 seats. The Pakistan Peoples Party, led by President Asif Ali Zardari which headed the previous government, was ahead in 31 positions, a third of the seats it got in 2008. The Election Commission of Pakistan had released 25 results as of 2:45 p.m.