Nawaz Sharif is poised for a record third term as Pakistan's Prime Minister with his PML-N party today taking an unassailable lead over its rivals in landmark general elections. This is a triumphant comeback after being toppled in a coup and sent into exile.

Trends from 264 of the 272 parliamentary seats that went to the polls showed that the PML-N was set to bag in excess of 125 seats, while Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf and the Pakistan Peoples Party were lagging far behind with 34 and 32 seats.

63 years old Sharif is set to return to power at a time when Pakistan is facing several major challenges, including growing extremism, a strong Taliban presence in the country's northwest, rampant corruption, uneasy relations with the US ahead of the withdrawal of foreign forces from war-torn Afghanistan and an economy that has virtually been in free fall for the past few years.

He has already made it clear that he intends to take up India-Pakistan relations from where he had left them when he was ousted from power in 1999.

The PML-N was returned to power at the national level after millions of Pakistanis braved Taliban threats and violence that claimed some 50 lives to vote in the landmark general elections that marked the first transition from one civilian government to another in the country's 66-year history. The country has witnessed numerous military coups.

The PML-N's strong performance will make it possible for Sharif to form government at the centre with the backing of independent candidates and smaller rightist parties like the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam which is leading in 11 seats. Analysts said it was possible that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, leading in 12 seats, could back the PML-N. To win a simple majority, a party or coalition will have to bag 137 of the 272 National Assembly seats for which polls were held.