The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday won the by-election on 15 of the 20 Punjab Assembly seats, according to unofficial results.
The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) could win only four seats, while an independent candidate too grabbed a seat. PTI Chairman Imran Khan thanked his party’s workers and supporters for defeating the PML-N and the entire state machinery that was allegedly put into use by the ruling party to win the by-elections. He said that now free and fair general elections were the only way forward.
Khan took to Twitter to experss these views, “I want to first thank our PTI workers & voters of Punjab for defeating not just PMLN candidates but the entire state machinery, esp harassment by police, & a totally biased ECP. Thank you to all our Allies, PMLQ, MWM & Sunni Ittehad Council.
The only way forward from here is to hold fair & free elections under a credible ECP. Any other path will only lead to greater political uncertainty & further economic chaos.”PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz conceded defeat and said her party should accept people’s decision graciously. PTI candidates Sardar Saifuddin Khosa from Dera Ghazi Khan and Zain Qureshi from Multan were some of the early winners, according to unofficial results. Zaheer Abbas Khokhar, Shabbir Gujjar, Mian Azam Cheela, Khurram Shehzad and Amir Iqbal Shah were in the leading position from the very beginning of the results.
Some other PTI candidates like Col (r) Shabbir Awan, Hassan Aslam Awan, Irfan Ullah Niazi, Ali Afzal Sahi, Nawaz Bharwana, Mian Akram Usman, Moazam Jatoi, Yasir Arafat Jatoi too started with a good lead over PML-N candidates.
