UPDATE - Khan-backed candidates lead as election commission announces final Pakistan poll results

ADDS MORE DETAILS, CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK; EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Aamir Latif and Islamuddin Sajid

KARACHI, ISLAMABAD (AA) - Candidates, mostly linked to jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s political party, won the most seats as Pakistan’s election commission announced on Sunday final results of the Feb. 8 general elections.

The final tally was released nearly three days after voting concluded on Thursday, a delay that raised questions about the counting process.

The independents backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) got 101 seats, followed by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) winning 75, while Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's Pakistan People's Party managed to grab 54.

The rest of the seats were won by other parties including Muttahida Quami Movement Pakistan, which got 17, among others.

Election in one constituency will be held later, while the result of another was withheld.

A party requires 169 seats in the 336-member National Assembly to form the government with a simple majority.

Meanwhile, several political parties such as the PTI, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl and Jamaat-e-Islami held protest rallies in different parts of the country against alleged rigging in the elections. Rallies were organized in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, and several other cities. Dozens of candidates also approached the courts, challenging the results.