At a barbeque on Mother’s Day, the temperature had dropped to 12 degrees Celsius, and the wind was cold but the topic was still hot: Pakistan elections. Many were very disappointed at the turnout, despite the fact that the polls had proven what was being suggested for months — that Nawaz Sharif was a serious contender and had a big lead over Imran Khan. However, people continued to hope for a miracle which would make Imran Khan the next prime minister of Pakistan.

“It is so disappointing that the tsunami merely turned out to be a tropical storm… I can’t believe Imran Khan did not even win from Lahore,” said a staunch supporter of the Tehreek-i-Insaf party. “That’s because the polls were rigged,” interjected Ambreen, a former resident of Gujranwala.

Jawed and Farrukh complained about the rigging in Karachi, too. “The MQM hijacked the elections,” said Jawed. “There was open cheating. So many people have made videos on their cell phones which show MQM supporters taking over polling booths and casting multiple votes. I hope that there will be some re-polling done.”

Farrukh said he himself was a member of the MQM when he was very young and living in Karachi. “But they have changed over the years; they have become very militant, almost criminal,” he said.

Mohammad Zaki, the host of the barbecue party, said that all the overseas Pakistanis in his community were staunch supporters of Imran Khan and were very disappointed with the election results. “But I understand why Nawaz Sharif won. Some of my businessmen friends feel that being a businessman himself, Sharif could serve Pakistan better. He would create more jobs.”

Everyone agreed that the elections in Pakistan were very special. It was amazing to see people turn up in such high numbers. “Even though we couldn’t vote, I felt a sense of participation,” said one lady. “The news coverage of the elections was pretty detailed and our friends and families posted their experiences on Facebook.”

Rahmati, the 89-year-old mother, in whose honor the Mother’s Day barbecue was held calls herself a proud Pakistani. She said she had seen it all, from Mohammad Ali Jinnah and now to Nawaz Sharif. She said that Pakistanis should be happy. It was a win- win situation. “We got rid of Zardari. Imran Khan may not be the prime minister, but he has emerged No. 2 which is his party’s best performance to date."

She said she was also looking forward to improved relations with India so that she could visit her Indian relatives once more and perhaps, for the last time.