Sir: As I left my house on the way to the voting centre that I had been assigned to, I was surprised to see a number of people out on the roads, each seemingly affected by the election fever. The situation was so outlandish because the hour was early and the day was supposed to be a national holiday. Yet, it was abundantly clear that the people of Pakistan were not going to spend the day sleeping or relaxing at home; they wanted to get out and contribute to the progress of democracy in the nation. After the voting booths were closed, many in the media predicted the PTI to win, yet warned that the PPP and the PML-N would give them a run for their money, especially in their strongholds of Sindh and Punjab respectively. Even though the final results have yet to be announced, Imran Khan, and the PTI seem to have dominated the other parties completely, far surpassing even their most ambitious projections. It is now my hope, and I am sure my fellow Pakistanis will concur, that the new government is allowed to get settled in, pursue their mandate and given the same patience and time that our citizens have given to the PML-N and the PPP for so many years. Perhaps the results might surprise them. UZAIR NADEEM Lahore Published in Daily Times, July 27th 2018.