Musharraf-backed party faces crushing defeat in critical poll

As the outcome of make-or-break elections in Pakistan started becoming
apparent, it clearly transpired that the former ruling Pakistan Muslim
League-Q (PML-Q) stands no chance of being part of future government in
Islamabad, as it was trailing at fourth place after announcement of
unofficial results of 64 National Assembly constituencies.

It could be gauged from the fact that various top guns of the PML-Q, the
party backed by President Pervez Musharraf, have lost elections. Besides
various others, National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain, PML-Q
President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, former federal minister Sheikh Rashid
Ahmed, who had won six elections in a row, and National Reconstruction
Bureau Chairman Chaudhry Daniyal Aziz faced crushing defeat at the hands of
their rivals mostly from the PML-Nawaz or PML-N led by former Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif.

After announcement of unofficial results of 64 constituencies by 3:30 a.m.
(local time), the PML-N emerged the leading party with 23 seats, followed by
19 of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of slain former Prime Minister
Benazir Bhutto, six of the national Awami National Party (ANP), three of the
of the PML-Q, 10 of independents, two of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and
one of the PPP-Sherpao or PPP-S. Thus, the former ruling party finished at
the fourth place, even behind the ANP that is a regional party.

The PML-N of Sharif was also leading in the provincial assembly elections in
the most populous province of the country, Punjab, with 38 seats while the
PPP of Bhutto was trailing with 17 seats. However, the position of the PML-Q
slightly improved here as it was trailing at the third place with 15 seats.

The PPP was leading in the provincial assembly of Sindh, the home province
of Bhutto, followed by MQM with 10 seats and PML-Q with three seats while
the National People's Party and PML-Functional one seat each.

In the provincial assembly of troubled Balochistan, the PML-Q emerged as the
largest party with nine seats, followed by five of the PPP, two of the
Balochistan National Party and one of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal while
seven seats went to independents.

The ANP emerged as the largest party in the restive North West Frontier
Province (NWFP) with 17 seats, while the PPP got nine seats, PML-Q two,
PPP-S five, MMA four and four seats were won by independent candidates.

Amazingly, the PML-N of Nawaz Sharif had so far won no seat in three
provincial assemblies of Balochistan, Sindh and NWFP.

However, it has become clear that the PML-N and PPP are the two largest
parties in the country and would be able to form governments in Islamabad as
well as in the Punjab and Sindh provinces.