Punjab by-election results show PTI winning 15 of the 20 seats, while PML-N is defeated at homeground.
According to unofficial findings, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won the by-election on 15 of the 20 seats in the Punjab Assembly on Sunday.
Only four seats could be won by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), while one seat was won by an independent candidate.
Imran Khan, the chairman of the PTI, commended the members of his party for beating the PML-N and the whole state apparatus, which was reportedly used by the incumbent party to win the by-elections. He claimed that moving ahead would only be possible with free and fair general elections.
"I want to first thank our PTI workers & people of Punjab for defeating not just PMLN candidates but the whole state apparatus, especially harassment by police, & a blatantly biassed ECP," Khan said on Twitter. The Sunni Ittehad Council, PMLQ, and all of our allies are appreciated. Holding fair and free elections under a reliable ECP is the only way to go ahead from here. Any alternative course will only result in increased economic and political instability.
PML-N Admits Loss
Maryam Nawaz, vice president of the PML-N, acknowledged loss and advised her party to politely accept the results of the vote.
Malik Ahmad Khan, the head of the PML-N, acknowledged the PTI's historic win and declared his party had lost in the by-elections.
What occurred earlier
Early in the evening, when results began to come in, the PTI appeared to be in the lead with 17 seats, followed by the PML-N with two seats and independent candidates with one.
PTI candidates Sardar Saifuddin Khosa from Dera Ghazi Khan and Zain Qureshi from Multan were among of the early winners, according to unconfirmed results. From the start of the results, Zaheer Abbas Khokhar, Shabbir Gujjar, Mian Azam Cheela, Khurram Shehzad, and Amir Iqbal Shah held the top spots.
As compared to PML-N candidates, some other PTI candidates, including Col. (r) Shabbir Awan, Hassan Aslam Awan, Irfan Ullah Niazi, Ali Afzal Sahi, Nawaz Bharwana, Mian Akram Usman, Moazam Jatoi, and Yasir Arafat Jatoi, also got off to a strong start.
The crucial by-elections were held as a result of the removal of 20 PTI members by Pakistan's Election Commission for voting in favour of PML-N candidate Hamza Shahbaz in the race for Punjab chief minister.
In Pakistan's most populous province, there were a number of violent occurrences recorded. For breaking the electoral code of conduct and organising demonstrations in the district, more than a dozen PTI workers in Lahore's PP-167 were taken into custody.
The top electoral authority issued a notice to senior PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi for violating the code of conduct for the by-elections by visiting various voting locations.
The ruling PML-N further claimed that Qureshi tried to buy votes from employees at a company in his hometown.
Many political activists disapproved of the Punjab police's detention of PTI leader Shahbaz Gill in Muzaffargarh.
Imran Khan, the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, said that Shahbaz Gill's detention was an attempt to "rig elections" and "create terror among people."
He wrote, "These fascist methods will not work and our people will not be dissuaded from exercising their right to vote," adding that "handlers of imported government" should be aware of the harm they were causing to the country.
The PML-N and PTI were anticipated to face off against each other in a close election in Punjab. A strict security presence was present during the voting, which went on uninterrupted until 5 o'clock.
The by-elections were conducted in the PP-7, PP-83, PP-90, PP-97, PP-125, PP-127, PP-140, PP-158, PP-167, PP-168, PP-170, PP-202, PP-217, PP-224, PP-228, PP-237, PP-272, PP-273, PP-282, and PP-288 seats.
According to the ECP guidelines, the election campaign finished at 12 a.m. on Saturday. Imran Khan, the chairman of the PTI, and Maryam Nawaz, the vice president of the PML-N, both actively promoted their parties.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced in a statement that it has established specific control rooms on the federal and provincial levels for monitoring, which would address issues relating to elections.
The federal government has made the decision to place a prohibition on the movement of any political party's armed employees within the electoral districts where the by-elections are being held.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan issued a warning to the PTI leadership through Twitter, urging them to exhibit restraint and refrain from upsetting the orderly by-election process.
0 Comments