In an unprecedented feat, former Prime Minister and PTI chairman Imran Khan has won on six NA seats of Peshawar, Mardan, Charsadda, Faisalabad, Nankana Sahib and Karachi beating the 13-Party ruling coalition’s candidates, while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) added two more Punjab Assembly seats, however, PPP claimed two NA seats in Multan and Karachi.
The counting of votes started at 5pm after the polling — which started at 8am — was held without interruptions despite intense political activity. Sporadic clashes were reported in some constituencies.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan, as per unofficial results, has won NA-37 Peshawar by-election, securing 59,972 while his opponent ANP’s Ghulam Ahmed Bilour polled 34,724.
Imran Khan won the constituency by 25,000+ votes. However, ANP’s Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour refused to accept the result, accusing the provincial government of “injustice”.
According to unofficial results, PTI has defeated JUI-F’s Maulana Qasim in NA-22 Mardan. PTI’s Imran Khan bagged 70,317 votes while JUI-F’s Maulana Qasim secured 62,357 votes.
In NA-24 Charsadda, Imran Khan defeated ANP’s Aimal Wali Khan. PTI chairman secured 78,258 votes as per unofficial results, while ANP’s candidate could only secure 68,178 votes.
Meanwhile, Imran Khan beat Abid Sher Ali in NA-108 Faisalabad with 98,841 votes while PLMN’s candidate polled 75,266 votes.
In NA-118 Nankana, PTI won with 90,180 votes while PMLN came second with 78,024 votes.
The former premier won NA-239 Karachi securing 50,014 votes with MQM’s Syed Nayyer Raza finished distanced second with 18,116 votes. This is Imran Khan’s remarkable 6th victory out of seven seats he contested in Sunday’s by-elections.
However, PPP has clinched NA-157 Multan-IV, where Ali Musa Gilani, son of former prime minister Senator Yousuf Raza Gilani, has beaten Meher Bano Qureshi, daughter of PPP leader and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
Ali Gilani secured 79,743, while his opponent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Meherbano Qureshi could only bag 59,993 votes.
In Karachi, NA-237 Malir, PPP’s Hakeem Baloch won the seat with 32,5567 votes, PTI Chief Imran Khan secured 22,493 votes.
On the Punjab Assembly seats, PTI candidates Muhammad Faisal Khan Niazi and Malik Muhammad Muzaffar Khan emerged victorious from PP-209 Khanewal and PP-241 Bahawalnagar, respectively.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Ch Iftikhar Bhangoo, as per unofficial results, has won the PP-139 Sheikhupura by-election by obtaining 43,435 votes, while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Abu Bakar Sharaqpuri could secure 41,673 votes.
In PP-241 Bahawalnagar-V, PTI’s Muhammad Muzaffar was declared winner as per unofficial results, securing 59957 votes while PMLN came second with 48147 votes.
The by-elections were held for three seats each of the national and provincial assembly in Faisalabad, Nankana Sahib and Multan in Punjab; three NA seats in Charsadda, Peshawar and Mardan in KP; and two NA seats in Sindh’s Korangi and Malir.
It is unprecedented in the country’s political history that one candidate, PTI Chairman Imran Khan, is running for as many as seven NA seats out of eight up for grabs.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said that overall, the polling process remained peaceful, and the commission’s central control room received 15 complaints of code violations.
A spokesperson for the commission said that most of the complaints were about workers of political parties clashing and other minor issues. “The received complaints were resolved immediately.”
