Dozens of independent candidates have backed Imran Khan as his party is barred from participating in the election.

Islamabad:

An independent candidate linked to jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan is leading Pakistan’s elections, local television channels said on Friday.

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was barred from participating as a bloc in Thursday’s election, but unofficial tallies by local TV channels showed independent candidates – including dozens nominated by his party – — leading in most districts.

The first official results – for seats held by PTI candidates – were announced shortly after 4:30 am (2330 GMT), more than 11 hours after polls closed.

The station’s predictions are based on vote counts in local precincts.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is expected to win the most seats after Thursday’s vote, with analysts saying its 74-year-old founder Nawaz Sharif has the support of the military-led establishment.

But local TV channels said the party was performing poorly, with Sharif lagging behind his opponents in one constituency where he was contesting.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)