As Imran's PTI made major gains across Pakistan to almost clinch the general elections, the hardline Islamist elements failed to win any seats in the National Assembly.

Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed party Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek(AAT) which had fielded 50 candidates was roundly rejected by Pakistan voters. Other Islamist groups, the Jamaat-i-Islami, the Jamiat-ul-Ulema-i-Pakistan, the Milli Awami League which had clobbered together to form a single party - Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal - lost in Punjab and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 

India and the US had earlier expressed apprehension over Hafiz Saeed's participation in the election. Saeed's Milli Muslim League had attempted to fight the elections but the party was barred by the Pakistan Election Commission.

Despite massive campaigning by the JuD chief, Saeed's son Talha and son-in-law Khalid Waleed lost the elections. Talha lost from Sargodha by over 11,000 votes. 

The United States had designated the Milli Muslim League as a terrorist organisation, calling it a front of Lashkar-e Taiba (LeT) which India accuses of being behind the Mumbai attacks in 2008.

Even as the Islamist parties campaigned on anti-India and anti-US plank, Imran Khan chose to hand the olive branch to India during his "victory" speech on Thursday. The PTI chairman said trade between India and Pakistan was important to improve relations. 

However, the PTI chief took a dig at the Indian media declaring: "I was disappointed with how Indian media portrayed me in the past few weeks, as a villain. I am that Pakistani who has travelled through India because of my cricket."

There were over 1,500 candidates belonging to various hardline outfits who took part in the elections being held for the National Assembly and provincial assemblies, however, not a single candidate won the elections.

The Ahle Sunnat Wahl Jamaat (ASWJ) which was banned by the US and Pakistan also floated a political party to fight the general elections. The ASWJ party was known as Rah-e Haq party which the United States accused of being linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State.

Several, small extremist organisations namely Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) fielded candidates but all of them lost. TLP had declared the names of 100 candidates to fight the elections but failed to win over the Pakistani voters.