Few results in more than 12 hours after polls close in Pakistan
Many analysts vote may not produce a clear winner at the polls
Pakistan's vote count following a general election was hit by unusual delays Friday, with results from only a handful of national parliament seats announced more than 12 hours after polls closed.
The South Asian country is struggling to recover from an economic crisis while it grapples with rising militant violence in a deeply polarized political environment.
An "internet issue" was the reason behind the delay, said Zafar Iqbal, special secretary at the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). He did not elaborate.
The government said it suspended mobile phone services on Thursday as a security measure, but that they were being partially resumed.
By early Friday morning, the ECP had announced results for eight of the 265 contested seats in parliament on its website.
Four were won by the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), the party of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, and one by the Pakistan Peoples Party of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of assassinated premier Benazir Bhutto. Independents won the other three.
The main contests are expected to be between candidates backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, whose Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party won the last national election, and the PML-N of Sharif, who analysts say is being backed by the powerful military.
With counting continuing into Friday morning, a clearer picture was likely to emerge only later in the day.
A party needs 133 seats for a simple majority, but many analysts believe the vote may not produce a clear winner.
Sharif, considered by many observers to be a strong candidate, dismissed talk of an unclear result.
"Don't talk about a coalition government. It is very important for a government to get a clear majority … It should not be relying on others," he told reporters after casting his vote in the eastern city of Lahore.
Thousands of troops were deployed on the streets and at polling stations across the country on Thursday. Borders with Iran and Afghanistan were temporarily closed as security was stepped up to ensure peaceful polling.
Despite the heightened security, nine people, including two children, were killed in bomb blasts, grenade attacks and shootings by militants.
The victims included five police killed in a bomb blast and firing on a patrol in the Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan district in the northwest, authorities said. Two children died in a blast outside a women's polling station in Baluchistan.
"Despite a few isolated incidents, the overall situation remained under control, demonstrating the effectiveness of our security measures," caretaker Interior Minister Gohar Ejaz said in a statement.
Washington was concerned about "steps that were taken to restrict freedom of expression, specifically around internet and cellphone use," State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters.
The U.S. strongly condemned election-related violence both in the run-up to the polls and on election day, Patel said.
A 'blunt attack' on rights
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also expressed concern about the violence and the suspension of mobile communications services, his spokesperson said in an e-mailed statement.
Amnesty International called it "a blunt attack on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly."
Chief election commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja said the decision on mobile networks was made by "law and order agencies" following violence on Wednesday in which 26 people were killed.
The military has dominated the nuclear-armed country either directly or indirectly in its 76 years of independence, but for several years it has maintained it does not interfere in politics.
"The deciding factor is which side the powerful military and its security agencies are on," said Abbas Nasir, a columnist. "Only a huge turnout in favour of [Khan's] PTI can change its fortunes."
He added: "Economic challenges are so serious, grave, and the solutions so very painful that I am unsure how anyone who comes to power will steady the ship."
If the election does not result in a clear majority for anyone, as analysts are predicting, tackling multiple challenges will be tricky — foremost being seeking a new bailout program from the International Monetary Fund after the current arrangement expires in March.
