The vote on Wednesday is expected to be a two-way race between Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN), the party headed by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who is now in jail and has for decades had tense relations with the army. “The military has little desire to see the PMLN return to power,” said Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert at the Wilson Center in Washington DC, “and it is willing to engineer actions behind the scenes that undercut the PMLN’s electoral prospects in a big way.”
...
Many analysts fear the attempts to rig the election could lead to a hung parliament or a weak governing coalition. “That’s exactly the type of administration the military would want, because a fragile and divided government would be easier to exploit than a united one with a strong mandate,” Kugelman said.

Parties and rights groups are also concerned by the election commission’s decision to deploy 371,000 troops, three times more than 2013, at polling stations, and grant them broad judicial powers, including to hold on-the-spot trials and sentence anyone breaking election laws.

Expanded powers for an army that has topped several governments in the past could have long-term implications for Pakistan’s fledgling democracy. “The damage is already done,” said Kugelman. “The last few months have amplified the deep imbalance in civil-military relations and the soaring challenges Pakistan faces in trying to strengthen civilian institutions and leaders. It will be a tall order, to say the least.”

Khan’s statement came amid slow counting of ballots after an election marred by allegations of fraud and militant violence.

Election officials said an official count confirming Pakistan’s next government was expected later in the evening.
...
Complaints have also emerged from the independent Human Rights Commission, which issued a statement saying that in some places women were not allowed to vote.

In other areas, it said, “polling staff appeared to be biased toward a certain party”, without naming the party. In the days before Wednesday’s election, leading rights activist IA Rehman called the campaign “the dirtiest” in his country’s troubled journey toward sustained democracy.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/26/imran-khan-claims-victory-in-pakistan-elections

The party of ex-Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif says it will not boycott the country's new parliament despite reservations over the election results.
...
On Friday, a senior leader of Mr Sharif's PML-N party said the outcome of the parliamentary vote would be accepted for the sake of democracy.
...
On Friday, a European Union monitoring team said the election campaign featured a "lack of equality".

"Although there were several legal provisions aimed at ensuring a level playing field, we have concluded that there was a lack of equality and opportunity," chief observer Michael Gahler told reporters.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-44980344

A group of Pakistani political parties has rejected the results of Wednesday's general election that looks poised to bring ex-cricketer Imran Khan to power.
...
After joint talks in Islamabad, one party leader said they would launch protests to demand fresh elections.

The rival parties include that of ex-PM Nawaz Sharif, which had earlier said it was ready to go into opposition.

PML-N leader Shahbaz Sharif, brother of Nawaz Sharif who is in jail on corruption charges, said the party had yet to decide whether or not to boycott parliament.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-44983716