Dawood Ahmed:
ISLAMABAD: Ruling Pakistan Muslim League (N) suffered a major blow in the by-polls in Punjab as Pakistan Tehrik e Insaf (PTI) won a majority of the seats on Sunday. As per the initial results, PTI won 15 seats, PML N 3 seats out of 20 seats.
PP-83 Khushab-II PP-125 Jhang-II PP-127 Jhang-IV PP-140 Sheikhupura-VI PP-158 Lahore-XV PP-167 Lahore-XXIV PP 170 Lahore-XXVII PP-202 Sahiwal-VII PP-217 Multan-VII PP-224 Lodhran-I PP-282 Layyah-III PP-288 Dera Ghazi Khan-IV
Meanwhile, PML-N has won PP-168 Lahore-XXV and PP-273 Muzaffargarh-VI, with PP-228 Lodhran-V going to the independent candidate.
The day-long polling on 20 seats of the Punjab Assembly, pegged as a game-changer for the country’s politics, ended on Sunday evening with minor clashes and discrepancies at 14 polling stations.
Immediately after, unofficial results started pouring in and showed that the PTI was in a commanding position and set for a major triumph.
Even before any official announcements, journalists, politicians, and analysts across the country took to Twitter with congratulatory messages for PTI and advice for PML-N.
Journalist Khurram Husain said the results showed that Imran Khan had “arrived” as a “genuinely popular leader in Pakistan with grassroots support”.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan has renewed his demand for fair and free elections in wake of his party’s performance in Punjab by-elections.
“Any other path will only lead to greater political uncertainty & further economic chaos,” he said.
