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          Pakistan's Sharif Poised to Regain Power After Historic Vote

   The conservative party of former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif
   has taken a commanding lead as votes continued to be tallied Sunday for
   crucial parliamentary elections marred by Taliban intimidation.
   As unofficial results continued to pour in, state television estimates
   showed Mr. Sharif`s Pakistan Muslim League having easily secured enough
   seats to form a government and close to the majority needed to rule
   outright.
   In a dramatic showing, former cricket player Imran Kahn`s
   Tehrik-i-Insaf, or PTI, holds second place overall and will likely
   control the important provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,
   along the Afghan border.
   The Pakistan People`s Party, led by the family of slain former prime
   minister Benazir Bhutto, trails in third place as voters cast ballots
   to fill 272 seats in the National Assembly.
   Officials estimated the turnout in Saturday`s poll at a robust 60
   percent, despite pre-poll violence and attacks that killed at least 24
   people on election day itself, including at least 10 at a campaign
   office for the Awami National Party, one of the groups targeted by the
   Taliban.
   In a video message Sunday, Khan welcomed the high turnout as a step
   forward for democracy, but said his party would submit a report on
   alleged vote-rigging. He spoke from the hospital bed where he is
   recovering from a badly injured spine after falling more than four
   meters to the ground at a rally in Lahore last week.
   Mr. Sharif declared victory for his party late Saturday. If official
   results bear him out, he will likely return to the job he held twice in
   the 1990s.
   The former prime minister is appealing to all Pakistani parties to join
   him in ridding the country of its problems, which include inflation,
   unemployment, power cuts and a Taliban insurgency.
   For his part, Khan campaigned on a platform to end U.S. drone strikes
   in the tribal belt, saying he would order the Pakistani military to
   shoot down American aircraft if necessary.
   Khan won his seat in parliament, while outgoing Prime Minister Raja
   Pervez Ashraf lost his.
   This is the first time Pakistan is transitioning from one civilian
   government that finished a full term to another civilian
   administration.
   Mr. Sharif was Pakistani prime minister from 1990 until 1993 when he
   forced to resign because of allegations of corruption. He returned to
   the job in 1997 but was toppled by a military coup two years later.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/pakistans-sharif-poised-to-regain-power-after-historic-vote/1659494.html