ISLAMABAD: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) was poised to clinch the five National Assembly seats in Punjab and six provincial assembly seats in Sunday’s by-elections, paving way for its simple majority in the National Assembly.
The seats became vacant largely due to the disqualification of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers convicted in cases of May 9, 2023 riots following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan, reports Geo News.
The vote, which began at 8am under strict security, continued uninterrupted until 5pm.
The by-elections were held in six National Assembly constituencies — NA-18 (Haripur), NA-96 (Faisalabad), NA-104 (Faisalabad), NA-129 (Lahore), NA-143 (Sahiwal-III) and NA-185 (Dera Ghazi Khan).
Polling was also held in seven Punjab Assembly constituencies, PP-73 (Sargodha), PP-87 (Mianwali), PP-98 (Faisalabad), PP-115 (Faisalabad), PP-116 (Faisalabad), PP-203 (Sahiwal) and PP-269 (Muzaffargarh).
In a one-sided contest, PMLN candidate Hafiz Mian Nauman unofficially clinched NA-129, Lahore seat, securing 63,441 votes.
PTI-backed candidate Arsalan Ahmad secured 29,099 votes, whereas renowned transporter Bajash Khan Niazi got 6,264 votes as an independent candidate.
Despite the ban, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan candidate Waqas Ahmad was also allowed to contest the poll. Unofficially, he could bag only 2,813 votes.
In 334 polling stations, a total of 103,476 valid votes were cast. The total registered voters in the constituency are 5,58,364 and the turnout in the constituency remained around 18.6 percent.
In NA-185, Dera Ghazi Khan-II, PMLN candidate Mehmood Qadir Khan won the election securing 82,413 votes. PPP’s Dost Muhammad Khosa stood second, securing 49,262 votes.
In NA-143, Sahiwal-III, PMLN candidate Muhammad Tufail Jutt unofficially stood victorious, securing 136,223 votes. His competitor independent candidate Zarar Akbar Chaudhry stood second, securing 13,220 votes.
In NA 104, Faisalabad-III, PMLN candidate Danyal Ahmed was leading with 29,338 votes. His opponent Rana Adnan Javed was following with 8,861 votes.
In NA-96, Faisalabad-II, PMLN candidate Muhammad Bilal Badar was leading the race with 79,278 votes, with independent Nawab Sher Waseer trailing behind with 26,483 votes.
In NA-18 — Haripur, results from 558 of 602 polling stations placed PML-N’s Babar Nawaz in the lead with 153,578 votes. Independent contender Shehrnaz Umar Ayub follows with 111,331, according to the latest unofficial count.
In PP-203, PMLN candidate Muhammad Hanif unofficially won the election, securing 46,900 votes. His opponent Falak Sher secured 10,895 votes.
In PP-115, PMLN candidate Muhammad Tahir Pervez unofficially stood victorious with 490,49 votes followed by independent Muhammad Asghar who could secure only 1,898 votes.
In PP-73, PMLN candidate Mian sultan Ali Ranjha was leading the race with 35,132 votes. His opponent Muhammad Haris was trailing behind with 5,596 votes.
In PP-87, PMLN candidate Ali Haider Noor Khan Niazi unofficially stood first, securing 56,170 votes followed by independent Muhammad Ayaz Khan Niazi with 3,310 votes.
In PP-98, PMLN candidate Azad Ali Tabassum stood first bagging 32,491 votes. His opponent independent Muhammad Ajmal was following him with 21,485 votes.
In PP-116, PMLN candidate Ahmed Sheheryar was leading with 45,674 votes, followed by independent Malik Asghar Ali Qaiser with 10,294 votes.
In PP-269, PPP candidate Mian Alamdar Abbas Qureshi was leading the race with 42,091 votes, followed by independent Muhammad Iqbal Patafi with 30,370 votes.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Sunday congratulated PMLN candidate Muhammad Tufail Jutt on his resounding victory in NA-143 Chechawatani by-election.
“The PMLN owes its victory to the vision of PMLN Quaid Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and his unparalleled leadership and hard work of the party workers,” he said.
The victory also testifies to the people’s trust in Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s hard work for the development of the province, he added.
Shehbaz also congratulated PMLN candidate Hafiz Mian Nauman on his resounding victory in NA-129 Lahore by-elections.
Mumtaz Alvi adds: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja Sunday said the by-election was very peaceful for which he was thankful to the KP and Punjab governments.
Talking to the media at the Election Commission Secretariat, he said Sunday’s by-election was very peaceful, as no change was going to take place in the number game due to which the public’s interest was low.
He conceded that the turnout was always low in by-elections due to a host of reasons. He said the Commission took indiscriminate action against those who violated the code of conduct.
The DROs have sent some reports, whereas the Commission itself took notice of some complaints.
Raja explained that no unusual complaints were received during the by-election while State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry has been summoned tomorrow (Monday) and a hearing will be held.
Previously, he recalled that a minister and a candidate were disqualified for violating the code of conduct in the local government elections.
He said there was a legal scheme for everything; violations occur in elections all over the world, the Commission keeps sending its suggestions to the government from time to time.
Raja said the Commission had no authority to instruct the tribunal.
APP adds: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar Sunday said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was boycotting the majority of constituencies in the by-elections, cautioning that the move was bound to carry political repercussions.
Talking to the media after attending the 29th National Age Group Swimming Championship (Boys) 2025 and the 24th Championship (Girls), he expressed the confidence that PML-N) will secure a clear lead.
Tarar said political boycotts carry inevitable costs, emphasizing there was no room for such decisions in democratic practice.
He noted that the strong turnout signaled public confidence in the government’s performance, adding that PMLN appeared poised to secure a clear lead.
He noted that the Sunday’s by-elections witnessed a robust voter turnout, with citizens from across social and economic divides stepping forward to exercise their democratic right.
In Lahore, unusually large crowds gathered at polling camps, while Dera Ghazi Khan reported a steady flow of voters throughout the day.
Elderly citizens, young people and women turned out in significant numbers, reflecting broad public participation in the electoral process, he said.
Tarar stated that the PMLN candidate enjoyed a strong position in Lahore, with party teams actively involved throughout the polling process.
He further noted that turnout for the party had been highly encouraging across Lahore, Faisalabad, Sahiwal and Dera Ghazi Khan.
He observed that even long-silent voters returned to the polls, attributing their renewed participation to the government’s performance.
He further highlighted that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s leadership was earning recognition both at home and abroad, while Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had delivered notable achievements in the province.
He said the armed forces enjoyed global recognition for their capabilities, while the country’s economy had also drawn international appreciation.
Responding to a query on the Indian aircraft crash at the Dubai Airshow, the minister said investigations were underway and cautioned that it was too early to draw conclusions.
He noted that, at this stage, it remained unclear whether the incident was the result of a technical fault or another cause.
