Former prime ministers of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan both declared victory in the country's general elections which is ironic as they bother are oppotision candidates.

About 100 of the winning candidates are Independents, all but eight of them backed by Imran Khan's PTI party, said the Free and Fair Election Network, a non-profit electoral watchdog.

Meanwhile, Nawaz Sharif's PML-N won 71, while the PPP of Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the son of assassinated premier Benazir Bhutto, got 53.

Amid rigging allegations, Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir congratulated the country for the "successful conduct" of its national elections, saying the nation needed "stable hands" to move on from the politics of "anarchy and polarisation".

The United States, Britain and the European Union on Friday each expressed concerns about Pakistan's electoral process, urging a probe into reported irregularities. British foreign secretary David Cameron cited "serious concerns" raising questions "about the fairness and lack of inclusivity of the elections".

Polls closed Thursday at 5 p.m. local time after a day of voting that was marred by militant attacks and charges of electoral misconduct. The vote counting was hit by long delays with the Election Commission ordering the immediate release of the results in the early hours of Friday morning after more than 10 hours of waiting.

Amid delay in election results in Pakistan, the Imran Khan-led party -- the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) --has given a call for a nationwide protest today.

According to a report, they decided to hold 'peaceful protests' across the country to "protect the sanctity of the vote".

Earlier on Saturday, Pakistan's former prime minister and Nawaz Sharif's brother Shehbaz Sharif joined hands with PPP's Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to form a coalition government.

A unity government would thwart Imran Khan despite Independents backed by him racing ahead in the national elections, but falling short of the 133 majority mark.

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