Pakistan elections 2018: Heads of all major parties lose to PTI novices: report

Islamabad, July 26: The results of the general election in Pakistan held on Wednesday, July 25, witnessed chiefs of all major political parties - including the PML-N, PPP, JUI-F, QWP and JI losing against inexperienced opponents from the PTI, led by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, Pakistan's The News International reported.

The heavyweights who lost against lesser PTI opponents are Shehbaz Sharif (PML-N), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (PPP), Fazl ur Rehman (MMA), Afsand Wali Khan (ANP), Siraj ul Haq (JI) and Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao (QWP), the report said.

Khan, however, was leading in his battle against Akram Khan Durrani of MMA in Bannu district of Khyber-Pakhtunkwa province.

Wednesday's election has been one of most controversial in the history of Pakistan's tainted democracy with the results getting delayed, provoking almost all parties other than the PTI to condemn it as "rigged".

While PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari called the progress of the polling as "inexcusable and outrageous", Sharif said they don't accept the results. Other leaders also strongly condemned it, saying the will of the voters was "manipulated" and also warned of serious consequences.

According to a report in Dawn, Pakistan's human rights commission (HRCP) said that the polling officials were found to be biased in favour of a certain political party with voters who received slips from another party being denied their voting rights on fragile grounds.