ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has won the maximum number of seats in the by-elections to 11 seats of Parliament and Provincial Assembly in the country. Voting for the by-polls took place on Sunday and the main contest was between Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The election was an opportunity for political parties to test their popularity ahead of next year’s general elections.
According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), elections were held for eight seats in the National Assembly and three for the Punjab province’s assembly. A total of 101 candidates were in the fray, out of which 52 were in Punjab, 33 in Sindh, and 16 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Khan himself contested seven parliamentary seats, winning six of them. He was defeated by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate in the Karachi seat. His party also faced defeat in Multan, where PTI supported Mehr Bano Qureshi.
Mehr is the daughter of former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. Apart from six seats in Parliament, PTI also won two seats in the Punjab Assembly. This has strengthened the position of his Chief Minister of Punjab, Chaudhary Pervez Elahi. PTI general secretary Asad Umar said the election results “are an opportunity for policymakers to realize their mistake and hold fresh elections in Pakistan”.
The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won only one seat. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif-led PML-N had to bear the brunt of not being able to control rising inflation. PTI, however, lost three of the 11 seats that fell vacant due to the resignation of their MPs after the fall of the government.
