Pakistan’s army chief today congratulated the country on the “successful conduct” of parliamentary elections, saying the nation needed “steady hands” to move away from the politics of “anarchy and polarization”.

Pakistan held parliamentary elections on Thursday, the outcome of which is still not fully clear as seat counting continues as the country tries to recover from an economic crisis amid a deeply polarized political environment.

Pakistan’s chief of army staff “hopes that these elections will bring political and economic stability and prove to be a harbinger of peace and prosperity for our beloved Pakistan,” the army chief said. Asim Munirin a statement released by the military press office.

The US, Britain and the European Union yesterday raised concerns about the electoral process in Pakistan in the context of Thursday’s vote, calling for an investigation into alleged irregularities. The former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan they both declared that they were declared winners.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement today that international comments about the elections ignore the “indisputable fact” that the country successfully conducted them.