Sharif on course for Pakistan poll win

Former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif is headed for a third term in office after a resounding victory, according to initial returns.

However, state TV estimates did not show whether Mr Sharif would attain the majority needed to govern outright, or if he would need to form a coalition government.

The poll looks to have been a triumph for a man who spent seven years in exile and another five in opposition waiting for his chance to govern again.

Supporters danced in the streets overnight in his hometown of Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city and the provincial capital of Punjab province.

Mr Sharif now faces the monumental task of governing a country beset by rising inflation, rolling blackouts and a powerful Taliban insurgency.