Punjab by-elections: PTI trounces PML-N; victory will add to IK’s narrative

LAHORE: In the by-elections for the 20 constituencies of the Punjab Assembly, unofficial results confirmed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) victory on a majority of the seats on Sunday.

As per unofficial results, PTI candidates Sardar Saifuddin Khosa, Zain Qureshi, Mian Akram Usman, Khurram Shehzad Virk, Pir Amir Iqbal Shah, Irfan Ullah Niazi, Qaiser Abbas Magsi, Azam Cheela, Hassan Aslam Awan, Ali Afzal Sahi, Shabbir Gujar, Maj (R) Ghulam Sarwar and Malik Zaheer Khokhar have won the elections.

While the ruling Nawaz League's three candidates Asad Khokhar from Lahore, Sabtain Raza from Muzaffargarh and Fida Hussain from Bahawalnagar also won the election after a tough contest with PTI. An independent candidate Pir Rafiuddin Bukhari has also succeeded to snatch a seat of PP-228 Lodhran from the PTI and the PML-N. He belongs to the Shaheed Kanju group. In the Punjab by-elections was 42 per cent PML-N.

Punjab: crucial by-polls today

The results brought jubilation among the PTI workers and supporters. Responding to the success in the by-elections, PTI Central Punjab General Secretary and former Federal Energy Minister Hammad Azhar said in an address to party workers in Lahore, “Soon, Pakistan will witness a change; Hamza Shahbaz’s fake government has ceased to exist.”

Soon after getting the results, PML-N supremo Mian Nawaz Sharif also made telephonic contact with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif from London and advised him to call party’s meeting Monday to take stock of the situation. PM Shehbaz has summoned the party meeting on Monday, sources said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022