'Change' Witnessed In By-polls As PTI Does Not Follow Past Traditions

Contrary to the past traditions where the parties in government used to win the by-elections allegedly through manoeuvrings and influencing the polling process by official functionaries, including police, bureaucracy and patwaris, the results of Sunday's by-polls showed a 'change.

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Oct, 2018 ) :Contrary to the past traditions where the parties in government used to win the by-elections allegedly through manoeuvrings and influencing the polling process by official functionaries, including police, bureaucracy and patwaris, the results of Sunday's by-polls showed a 'change.' The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which is in government at the Centre and the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, appeared to have not followed the path of its predecessors that it could not retain two of the four National Assembly (NA) seats, which were vacated by party chief Prime Minister Imran Khan after winning them on July 25.

According to unofficial Punjab by-election results issued by the returning officers here, the PTI's arch-rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won four out of eight NA seats and six out of 11 Punjab Assembly seats. The PTI and the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) got two seats each of the National Assembly, while three Punjab Assembly seats were won by the former and two by the independent candidates.

The four NA seats grabbed by the PML-N included NA-124 (Lahore) by Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, NA-131 (Lahore) by Khawaja Saad Rafique, NA-103 (Faisalabad) by Ali Gohar Khan and NA-56 (Attock) by Malik Sohail Khan. PTI's Sheikh Rashid Shafique and Mansoor Hayat Khan won NA-60 (Rawalpindi) and NA-63 (Rawalpindi) seats respectively.

PML-Q's Moonis Elahi won NA-69 (Gujrat) and Chaudhry Salik Hussian NA-65 (Chakwal) seats.

The six Punjab Assembly seats bagged by the PML-N included PP-03 (Attock) by Ifikhar Ahmed Khan, PP-27 (Jhelum) by Nasir Mahmood, PP-103 (Faisalabad) by Jaafar Ali, PP-164 (Lahore) by Sohail Shaukat Butt, PP-165 (Lahore) by Malik Saiful Malook Khokhar, and PP-292 (Dera Ghazi Khan) by Sardar Owais Ahmed Khan Leghari.

The PTI won three provincial assembly seats, including Syed Sumsam Ali Shah Bokhari PP-201 (Sahiwal), Fawaz Ahmed PP-261 (Rahim Yar Khan) and Zahra Batool PP-272 (Muzaffargarh), while two independent candidates including Chaudhry Bilal Asghar PP-118 (Toba Tek Singh) and Qasim Abbas Khan PP-222 (Multan) managed their victories.