Pakistanis still do not know which party will form their next government or who their next prime minister will be four days after the hotly-contested general elections, reports BBC.
Despite former PM Imran Khan's detention and the many hurdles thrown at his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), independent candidates backed by the party stunned observers by winning 93 National Assembly seats, the most by any party. However it is far short of the 169-seat simple majority required to form a government.
The Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) of another former PM, Nawaz Sharif, came in second with 75 seats. He was seen to have the backing of the country's powerful military and had been expected to coast to victory, five years after he left Pakistan in disgrace.
The Pakistan People's Party (PPP), led by political blue blood Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, came in third with 54 seats.
The constitution dictates that political parties must form a government by 29 February, or three weeks after election day. The National Assembly has a total of 336 seats, of which 266 are decided by direct voting and 70 are reserved - 60 for women and 10 for non-Muslims - and these are allocated according to the strength of each party in the assembly.
"It's a fragmented mandate where none of the parties have a simple majority. And yet they will have to find a common ground or form a coalition to exist," political analyst Rafiullah Kakar told BBC Urdu from Islamabad.
While both the PTI and PML-N have declared victory, a coalition government appears inevitable. As wrangling continues, independent candidates who did not win have flooded courts with vote-rigging allegations. Supporters of PTI have also staged protests outside Election Commission offices across the country.
So what comes next? There are a few possible scenarios:
Sharif's PML-N joins forces with Bhutto's PPPOne likely scenario could see PML-N forming a coalition with the PPP, as well as some smaller parties, Prof Samina Yasmeen of the University of Western Australia told the BBC's Newsday. The two parties formed an alliance to oust Mr Khan from power in 2022 and ruled until last August.
"The sticking point would be who would be the next prime minister (and) what would be the division in terms of the president's position, but also within the different provinces," she added.
The PML-N is courting the social liberal Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), which won 17 seats. It is also looking to entice independent candidates to its side.
While Mr Zardari met a PML-N delegation led by Mr Sharif's brother Shehbaz in Lahore on Sunday, the PPP appears to be be taking its time to consider its options. The party's central executive committee is set to meet in Islamabad on Monday.