Imran Khan wins 6 of 8 seats in Pakistan bypolls; his party leader says ‘will of masses’

Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) caused a major upset to the ruling coalition in the country led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif by winning six National Assembly (NA), and two Punjab Assembly (PA) seats in by-elections.

The PTI was contesting from as many as seven constituencies in the Pakistan NA, and three in the PA. It won the seats in Mardan, Charsadda, Faisalabad, Nankana Sahib and Peshawar in the NA after defeating the ruling coalition’s candidates. In Punjab, the party won in Khanewal, Sheikhupura and Bahawalnagar, Geo News reported. Khan’s party, however, were dethroned from Multan and Malir-II constituencies where the PTI won in 2018.

How the polling unfolded

The voting commenced at 8am on Sunday and ended at 5pm, when the counting process also kicked off. Though the polling was overall smooth, incidents of clashes were reported between PTI and Awami National Party (ANP) workers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dawn reported. The PTI claimed its lawmaker was “attacked” in Karachi, while allegations of rigging by a polling official also emerged from the province, the Dawn report added.

PTI leader Khurram Sher Zaman accused the PPP of being behind the alleged rigging.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said that its central control room received a total of 15 complaints of code violations.

What PTI leaders said after the by-poll results

Khan, a former cricketer, contested in seven of the eight seats his party went for, and emerged triumphant in six in an unprecedented move in Pakistan’s political history. The party’s win made its leaders reiterate their demand to hold early elections in the country. The Khan-led government was ousted via a no-confidence vote in April this year in a high drama process. However, since then the cricketer-turned politician has been holding rallies across Pakistan to seek early polls, which are attracting large crowds.

Senior PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry took to Twitter urging the current Sharif-led regime and the establishment to “respect the will of the masses and immediately announce fresh elections in the country”. “We are ready to discuss the election framework with the government,” his tweet added.

The latest political drama comes amid the Sharif-led government battling major financial issues, coupled by devastating floods this year that have cost the lives of hundreds of citizens.