Pakistan cricket hero turned politician Imran Khan claimed victory Thursday in the country’s tense general election marred by allegations of “blatant” rigging by rival parties.
A visibly tired Khan cut a conciliatory tone in a wide-ranging address to the nation following the controversial contest which was also hit by long delays in still unreleased official results. Unofficial projections by various local media outlets showed Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party enjoying a clear lead.
“We were successful and we were given a mandate,” Khan, 65, said during a live broadcast from his home in the capital Islamabad, adding that there would be “no politician victimization” of his opponents in the future. He went on to call the elections the “most transparent” in the country’s history. (AFP)
