Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has congratulated PML-N candidates for securing major victories in the by-elections. The elections were held amid a boycott by the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in all but two constituencies, low voter turnout, and allegations of rigging.
According to unofficial results, the PML-N won all six National Assembly seats and six out of seven Punjab Assembly seats. The remaining Punjab Assembly seat was won by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Most of these seats became vacant after PTI lawmakers were disqualified and sentenced in cases related to the events of May 9.
In his statement, the Prime Minister said the victory reflects public trust in the party and is the result of PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif’s vision and the hard work of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. He specifically congratulated the winning candidates from NA-18 (Haripur), NA-96 and NA-104 (Faisalabad), NA-185 (DG Khan), PP-73 (Sargodha), PP-87 (Mianwali), PP-98, PP-115, PP-116 (Faisalabad), NA-143, PP-203 (Sahiwal), and NA-129 (Lahore).
In NA-18 Haripur, according to unofficial results, PML-N’s Babar Nawaz Khan won with 163,996 votes, while PTI-backed independent candidate Shehnaz Omar Ayub secured 120,220 votes and came in second. Shehnaz is the wife of PTI leader and former opposition leader Omar Ayub, who has rejected the results and announced he will challenge them in court.
Shehnaz Omar Ayub alleged that the Returning Officer tampered with the Form-45 results, accusing officials of rigging.
PTI senior leader Asad Qaiser also rejected the results, calling the elections “rigged and non-transparent.” He said the public followed PTI’s boycott call, which resulted in a voter turnout of only 15% to 18%. He claimed that based on Form-45 results from 519 polling stations, the PTI-backed candidate was actually leading by 25,000 votes.
In another constituency, the PPP won the provincial seat PP-269 in Muzaffargarh, where the PML-N had not fielded a candidate. According to Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, President of PILDAT, if the PML-N wins five National Assembly seats in these by-elections, it may not need the PPP’s support to maintain a simple majority in the next National Assembly.
