Mr Sharif spoke after results showed a candidate supported by Mr Khan, also a former prime minister, was leading in the election, but Mr Sharif said the results were rigged against Mr Khan. This was surprising given the claims made by his supporters and national rights groups.
Khan, a former cricket star turned Islamist politician with a large grassroots following, was disqualified from running in Thursday's election because of his conviction. He claims his own conviction and the numerous cases pending against him are politically motivated.
Speaking to reporters after Thursday's vote, Mr. Sharif had petulantly rejected the idea of a coalition government, saying he wanted to run Pakistan for a full five-year term with a single party.
But on Friday, he said: “We do not have a strong enough majority to form a government without the support of other countries. We call on our allies to join us in a coalition government so that we can make a joint effort to get Pakistan out of trouble.” Admitted.
“I don't want to fight people who are in the mood to fight,” he told supporters in Lahore. “To solve all problems, we have to sit together.”
Candidates from Mr Khan's party were barred from using the party's symbol, a cricket bat, to make them easier to spot on ballots for illiterate voters, and were forced to run as independents.
Election monitoring bodies announced 90% of the votes counted in the 266-member parliament, with candidates backed by Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party (PTI) winning 98 seats. Sharif, a three-time prime minister, won 67 seats for his Pakistan Islamic League party.
However, with a third major party in the mix, no one could claim complete victory.
Despite lacking a majority, Mr Sharif's relatives and supporters appeared on the balcony of the party's headquarters and waved to the crowd below. When Sharif arrived to address party members, people threw rose petals at his car.
PTI Chairman Gohar Khan told Pakistan's Geo news channel that the party has secured a total of 150 seats, enough seats to form a government, but the majority of the 336 people He said 169 seats are needed for a majority in parliament (lower house).
Observers had expected Mr Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League to win and put him on track for a fourth term as prime minister, citing the disadvantageous situation facing Mr Khan's party. In addition to Khan's imprisonment and further convictions, election authorities and police have prevented the party from holding rallies and opening election offices, and the party's online events have been blocked.
PTI said the move was aimed at preventing it from competing with voters and gaining momentum.
The party used artificial intelligence to deliver Khan's victory speech. The audio reproduced Khan's voice and congratulated his supporters. “I believed in you. Your large turnout scared everyone. No one can stop us. Don't be scared. Celebrate.”
Sharif said he would approach the Pakistan People's Party of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, son of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, as a coalition partner. PPP has 51 seats.
Pakistan's political landscape is deeply divided, making it unlikely that a strong coalition will emerge to promote improvements in a country facing high inflation, year-round energy outages and attacks by armed groups. Sharif's rivals, including Bhutto Zardari, criticized him during the election campaign, and the coalition he seeks appears to be aimed at jailing Khan and banning the PTI from politics.
U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the election involved unwarranted restrictions on freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.
“We condemn electoral violence, restrictions on the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including attacks on media personnel, and restrictions on access to internet and telecommunications services, and are concerned about alleged interference in the electoral process.” said Miller.
The European Union said it regretted the lack of a level playing field due to the inability of some political actors to participate in elections.
The report called on authorities to ensure “timely and thorough investigations” into all reported election fraud.
Police said two people were killed and six others injured in clashes between Khan's supporters and police in the northwestern district of Shangla on Friday. Police official Sadiq Khan said hundreds of PTI supporters had rallied to protest voter fraud. Police brandished batons and fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. PTI supporters also protested against voter fraud in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Sporadic violence and an unprecedented nationwide outage of cellphone service cast a shadow over Thursday's vote.
The election commission chief had said the results would be communicated to regulators by early Friday morning and then released to the public, but it only began after noon. The Home Office said the delay was due to a “lack of connectivity” due to safety measures.
The situation for Sharif and Khan on election day represented a reversal of fortune for them. Sharif returned to Pakistan in October after four years in self-imposed exile to avoid a prison sentence. Within weeks of his return, his conviction was overturned, leaving him free to seek a fourth term.
His easy return has made him a preferred candidate for the security establishment, which serves as the final arbiter of who holds power in Pakistan and what decisions they make. Ta.
Parliament chooses the prime minister. But the unexpected success of Khan-backed candidates means that Sharif will need to win over every politician with a seat if he wants to lead the country again.
Mr. Ahmed reported from Islamabad.
