Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif says his party is close to victory after Saturday's election. An unofficial, partial vote counts shows his Pakistan Muslim League-N party with an overwhelming lead.

Television channels have reported that by midday on Sunday Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League had captured 127 of the 272 contested National Assembly seats, just short of the 137 directly elected seats needed to form a majority. The PTI party had secured 34 seats while the PPP had 32. The results still need to be officially confirmed. Despite the lead that these figures suggest, Sharif's party still looks likely to fall short of winning a majority of the elected national assembly seats. That means he would have to put together a coalition.

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif says his party is close to victory after Saturday's election.

The 63-year-old politician has twice served as Prime Minister. He was ousted in a coup in 1999 and went into exile in Saudi Arabia. Pakistan's chief election commissioner says voter turnout across the country was about 60 percent, very high for Pakistan, despite numerous terrorist attacks.