By-elections were held for six National Assembly and seven Punjab Assembly seats on Sunday amid allegations of rigging by the PTI.
According to reports citing unofficial and preliminary results from some polling stations received until midnight, the PML-N was leading in a few constituencies.
Most seats on which the by-elections were held had fallen vacant after the disqualification of PTI lawmakers due to their convictions for alleged involvement in the May 9, 2023 violent riots.
The six NA constituencies where polling was conducted included one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, NA-18 (Haripur), and the rest in Punjab — NA-96 (Faisalabad), NA-104 (Faisalabad), NA-129 (Lahore), NA-143 (Sahiwal) and NA-185 (Dera Ghazi Khan).
The seven Punjab Assembly constituencies where by-polls were held were PP-73 (Sargodha), PP-87 (Mianwali), PP-98 (Faisalabad), PP-115 (Faisalabad), PP-116 (Faisalabad), PP-203 (Sahiwal) and PP-269 (Muzaffargarh).
The PTI had officially boycotted the polls in all constituencies except Lahore and Haripur, while the PML-N fielded its candidates on all seats except in Muzaffargarh, and the PPP contested on two NA and one Punjab seat.
Main updates:
- Hammad Azhar claims ‘voter booklets’ missing in Lahore as PTI faces PML-N
- 5 seats up for grabs in Faisalabad; low voter turnout reported
- Notice issued to PML-N’s Abid Sher Ali over violation of Elections Act
- Tallal Chaudhry’s brother contests in Faisalabad’s NA-96; Sanaullah’s son-in-law in field for PP-116 seat
- Voters’ enthusiasm defeats PTI’s boycott call in DG Khan
- Two women candidates in KP’s Haripur as PTI, PML-N, PPP in electoral arena
After the polling concluded, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja spoke to journalists in the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) monitoring room.
Raja said today’s by-polls were conducted peacefully and thanked the Punjab and KP governments for their cooperation.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency President Ahmed Bilal Mehboob posted on social media platform X that if the ruling PML-N managed to win five NA seats in these by-polls, “it will not need PPP votes for a simple majority in [the] NA in future, or in other words, PML-N can stay in power without PPP’s support!”
Lahore
In NA-129 (Lahore-XIII), the seat fell vacant following the death of former Punjab governor and PTI stalwart Mian Muhammad Azhar. His grandson Chaudhry Arsalan Ahmad was among the hopefuls for this seat while the PML-N fielded Hafiz Mian Muhammad Noman.
Reports citing unofficial and preliminary results of 193 polling stations out of a total 334 received until midnight said that Noman was leading the race in this constituency.
As polling neared its end, absconding PTI leader Hammad Azhar alleged on X that “voter booklets” were missing.
“Confirmation from [PTI leader] Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed sahib’s son regarding missing voter booklets. It is now essential for all activists to remain at polling [stations till] issuance of Form-45,” Azhar wrote, telling workers to follow the presiding officers till the returning officer’s (RO) office.
In another post, Azhar shared the purported audio of Arsalan, who claimed he had been stopped from entering the RO’s office and that only Noman’s vehicle was to be allowed inside.
Yet another post by him alleged: “Police and presiding officer leaving this [the] Samanabad polling station without counting.”
Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Moeen Riaz Qureshi also accused the authorities of “uprooting almost 99 per cent” of the PTI’s camps outside polling stations in Lahore.
Qureshi pointed out the low voter turnout and claimed that the PML-N attempted to “sabotage the by-polls by distributing more than half of the polling stations’ lists” in other areas, resulting in voters heading to the wrong polling stations.
The PTI also alleged that “multiple” of its workers were injured after the Punjab police and PML-N-backed men attacked them at a polling station.
Earlier in the day, the PML-N shared a video of purported PTI camps having no party workers and no voters as of 12:30pm at multiple polling stations in Samanabad and on Poonch Road. Meanwhile, the video showed people gathering at PML-N camps.
On the other hand, later in the day, the PTI’s Sahiwal chapter shared a video on X showing supporters thronging its party camp in Lahore’s Sabzazaar area, while that of the PML-N had comparatively fewer people.
PML-N’s Bilal Farooq Tarrar, who won the Wazirabad by-elections earlier this month, visited a polling station in Gulshan-i-Ravi, where party supporters greeted him.
PML-N’s Rana Mashhood Ahmad, head of Prime Minister’s Youth Programme, cast his vote at the Pak Angel School polling station in Union Council 100, APP reported.
He said, “Every vote given to Hafiz Mian Muhammad Nauman is a guarantee of a fair and strong mandate to advance the journey of public service, transparent leadership and sustainable development.”
Earlier in the day, Azhar alleged on X that ballot paper books received by the presiding officers at polling station No.330 (Government Model Girls High School, Samanabad) were less than the number of books issued to them.
However, an official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, pointed out that the serial numbers (5179-5194) mentioned in Form-36 (“Packing Invoice” containing the quantity of ballot paper books) confirmed that 15 ballot books had been issued.
Faisalabad
Faisalabad witnessed elections on two NA seats, NA-96 and NA-104, and three provincial seats — PP-98, PP-115 and PP-116.
In NA-96, the PML-N fielded Muhammad Bilal Badar Chaudhry, brother of Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry.
According to APP, 16 candidates, including several independents, were in the contest for the seat, which was vacated after the disqualification of PTI’s Rai Haider Ali Kharal. The constituency comprises 372,133 male voters and 272,991 female voters.
Moreover, the PTI issued a show-cause notice to Azra Parveen, the deputy coordinator of the party’s women’s wing in Faisalabad, for contesting for this seat in violation of the party’s stated policy.
“You are hereby called upon to explain yourself in writing within five days of this notice why disciplinary action should not be taken against you for violating party policy,” the notice read.
The notice warned that if her reply was unsatisfactory or she did not respond, further action would be taken against her as per the party policy and rules.
In NA-104, the PML-N had nominated Daniyal Ahmed, who contested against three independent candidates. Ahmed previously contested the elections and lost to PTI ally Sahibzada Hamid Raza, who secured 132,655 votes. Ahmed is the son of former NA opposition leader Raja Riaz.
The voter turnout was reported to be low as of 12pm. However, as the day progressed, an increasing rush of voters was witnessed, APP quoted an ECP spokesperson as saying. A total of 557,637 voters were eligible to exercise their franchise in the NA constituency.
The PML-N set up its party camps outside numerous polling stations, while Ahmed’s rival, Rana Adnan Javed, did not have his camps outside many stations.
Video footage of Faisalabad City Police Officer Bilal Omer’s visit to multiple polling stations also showed barely any voters present, with cops filling the venue instead.
In PP-98, the PML-N had nominated Azad Ali Tabbasum, who competed against nine independent candidates.
Workers at the camps of PML-N’s Tabbasum and independent candidates Wasim Akram Chattha and Haji Ajmal Cheema at a government school polling station reported “almost no voters” at around 12pm.
Due to the low turnout, an announcement was later made on a mosque’s loudspeaker in Chak Jhumra tehsil’s Chandian Talawan locality, urging people to cast their ballots.
The party had not nominated any candidate in this constituency in the 2024 elections, backing instead the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) candidate Muhammad Ajmal, who was the runner-up to PTI-backed Junaid Afzal Sahi.
According to reports citing unofficial and preliminary results of 93 polling stations from 171 stations received until midnight, the PML-N was in the lead in this constituency.
In PP-115, the ruling party’s candidate Muhammad Tahir Pervez faced three independents and an Awami Justice Party Pakistan (AJPP) candidate. Pervez also contested the 2024 polls and remained the runner-up to PTI-backed Shahid Javed.
In PP-116, the PML-N had nominated Ahmed Shaharyar, the son-in-law of Senator Rana Sanaullah. He contested against five independents and a Pakistan Nazriyati Party (PNP) candidate.
Shaharyar also cast a vote for himself. In the 2024 polls, he was the runner-up with 52,517 votes.
Speaking to the media, Sanaullah said there had been “no complaints” from anywhere in the constituency about the polling process.
“We hope that people will vote for service, progress and solutions to their issues,” he said, adding that the PML-N deserved the ballot for serving the people.
On the PTI’s boycott of the by-polls, Sanaullah said, “Imran Khan sahib is not even doing politics. He has never done politics. It is this country’s and the public’s misfortune that he was brought [into power].”
Asked about reported violations of the electoral code of conduct, the senator asserted that there had been no arrests or legal actions taken against any political opponent in the entire constituency.
Later, the returning officer of Faisalabad-XIX issued notice to PML-N leader Abid Sher Ali over the violation of Section 178 (d) of the Elections Act, which addresses the matter of interference with the secrecy of voting.
The notice was issued after a video showing Ali casting his vote surfaced.
In this notice, seen by media, Ali was asked to explain his position on Monday (tomorrow).
More than 6,500 security personnel were deployed at 1,240 polling stations established in the five constituencies of Faisalabad, APP quoted a police spokesman as saying. The stations included 64 of Category-A, 610 of Category-B and 566 stations of Category-C.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nasir Mahmood Bajwa reviewed the security of Category-A and Category-B polling stations with other senior officers in PP-115 and PP-116.
All independent candidates of the five constituencies had claimed that they had been backed by the PTI leadership. It is pertinent to mention that the PTI had announced the boycott of these by-elections, except for those in Haripur and Lahore.
The PML-N was likely to win all five seats in Faisalabad thanks to the PTI’s official boycott, the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) being in no condition to contest due to the recent ban on it, and the PPP fielding no candidate.
Separately, in a statement, the provincial election commissioner’s office said a man, identified as Muhammad Kaleem, was arrested for sharing a video of his ballot paper with a vote for the PML-N on social media.
“Violating the secrecy of the vote is a legal offence,” the district returning officer was quoted as saying.
The ECP official directed security officials to ensure that no voter entered the polling stations with their mobile phones. Directives were also issued to the presiding officers and the polling staff to ensure secrecy of the vote.
Dera Ghazi Khan
In NA-185 (DG Khan-II), PPP’s Dost Muhammad Khosa and the PML-N’s Mehmood Qadir Khan Leghari were among the key candidates. The seat had fallen vacant after the disqualification of PTI’s Zartaj Gul.
The voters’ enthusiasm defeated the PTI’s boycott call as the constituency witnessed a 25pc turnout in the city areas and 30pc in rural areas.
The by-elections were held peacefully, with 3,000 police officials performing their duties.
Besides Khosa and Leghari, other aspirants included independent candidates Allah Bakhsh, Zafar Bashir and Mureed Hussain; PNP’s Sohail Meheruddin; Abdul Aziz Baloch of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Pakistan (JUI-P) and Nawab Muhammad Ali Faisal of All Pakistan Muslim League (Jinnah).
Leghari, a sitting MPA, is a self-made businessman, not directly related to the family of late former president Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari.
NA-185 is one of the three NA constituencies in the district and encompasses populous urban areas, according to the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen).
A total of 226 polling stations with 860 booths were set up, including 434 male and 426 female booths. The constituency has 418,310 registered voters, comprising 222,392 men and 195,918 women.
From an administrative and security perspective, 4 polling stations were declared highly sensitive, 53 as sensitive, and 169 as normal.
Haripur
While the PTI had announced an official boycott of most by-elections, it contested on Haripur’s NA-18 seat left vacant after the disqualification of former NA opposition leader Omar Ayub.
The PTI leader’s wife, Shehrnaz Omar Ayub, contested the seat and faced PML-N’s Babar Nawaz and PPP’s Irum Fatima Turk. Shehrnaz had been allotted the “kettle” symbol.
While the turnout remained poor between 8am and 12pm due to the cold winter weather, there was a sudden increase in voters showing up at polling stations after 12pm, a media correspondent reported.
Former KP minister and Ayub’s brother, Yusuf Ayub, accused the ECP of being biased against Shehrnaz.
“The election commission’s biased approach is evident from the posting of presiding officers, other polling staff, and changing our election symbol,” he said. He acknowledged that the voter turnout remained low but expressed the hope that, despite all the bias, the PTI candidate would win the election with a margin of 100,000 votes
PTI Haripur President Raja Ehtesham also expressed his reservations over the election arrangements.
Shehrnaz contested an election for the first time. While Ayub and former MPA Momina Basit had been campaigning for her, Shehrnaz herself abstained from appearing in public meetings and only addressed women-specific election meetings.
Polling was largely peaceful with no poll-related violence reported from across the constituency, which spans about 1,726 square kilometres.
Speaking to the media in Haripur’s Khalabat Township, Ayub said he was hopeful of a “clean sweep” on all 29 polling stations in the union council. Another video shared by the PTI showed camps of the PML-N set up outside a polling station in Haripur.
A total of 753,944 registered voters, comprising 392,339 male and 361,605 female voters, were expected to cast their ballots, according to the ECP.
APP reported that 602 polling stations were established across the constituency. Of these, 462 stations were declared normal, 100 sensitive, and 40 highly sensitive. The ECP deployed 4,414 polling staff to manage the electoral process.
Babar, who had earlier served as MNA during 2015-2018, has won the support of his party leaders, including Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s husband, retired Captain Safdar Awan.
According to observers, Haripur’s political landscape remains dominated by patronage rather than ideology. Not a single woman in the district’s history could ever make it to the provincial or the National Assembly in a direct election.
Sahiwal
In NA-143, PML-N’s Muhammad Tufail Jutt and independent Zarrar Akbar Chaudhary were the only two candidates.
According to reports received until midnight, unofficial and preliminary results showed that the PML-N’s candidate was in the lead in this constituency.
In PP-203, the PML-N’s Muhammad Hanif Jutt, brother of Muhammad Tufail Jutt, contested against independent candidate Sardar Falak Sher Dogar.
Sargodha
From PP-73, the PML-N fielded Mian Sultan Ali Ranjha as its candidate.
The PML-N also appeared to be winning the race in this constituency, according to reports citing preliminary and unofficial results of 58 polling stations out of a total of 163 received until midnight.
Mianwali
In Mianwali’s PP-87, the PML-N fielded Ali Haider Noor Khan as its candidate.
Muzaffargarh
In PP-269 of Muzaffargarh, Mian Alamdar Qureshi contested as the PPP’s candidate, while the PML-N did not field anyone. Qureshi faced 16 other aspirants, including 15 independent candidates.
Polling at the Karam Dad polling station was “paused for a few minutes” following clashes between two parties, the spokesperson for the election commissioner of Punjab said in a statement.
“However, later on, law enforcement agencies confirmed that the polling had resumed after a short break,” the spokesperson said.
Reports citing unofficial and preliminary results from 110 polling stations received until midnight said that PPP’s Qureshi was in the lead.
Security personnel deployed
According to the ECP’s code of conduct for the armed forces, troops were deployed outside polling stations declared “most sensitive” and remained in quick-response mode at the remaining stations as third-tier responders.
The personnel were directed to perform duties strictly in accordance with Article 245 of the Constitution, the law and the mandate assigned to the armed forces to assist the election regulator.
While stationed outside selected polling stations, they were instructed to focus solely on ensuring a secure environment, complying with all relevant laws, and maintaining public confidence by safeguarding voters and preserving law and order throughout the polling process.
They were barred from preventing any eligible voter from entering a polling station, except in cases involving weapons, explosives, prohibited items or attempts to incite violence or threaten national security.
Out of a total of 2,792 polling stations, 408 were declared highly sensitive and 1,032 sensitive across the 13 constituencies, APP reported, citing official sources.
In Punjab, where by-elections for 12 of the 13 vacant seats took place, more than 20,000 police personnel were deployed for security in the province’s national and provincial constituencies.
In a post on X, the Punjab police said it was on “high alert”. It asserted there was “zero tolerance” for the violation of the ECP’s code of conduct, restrictions under Section 144, and the ban on arms.
“The polling process is being continuously monitored from the Central Police Office, the Safe City Authority, and the control and monitoring rooms of districts,” the police said.
Noting that the police had the full assistance of the Rangers and the army, Punjab police chief Dr Usman Anwar said, “All formations, including the Dolphin Squad, Special Branch and CTD (Counter-Terrorism Department), are being employed for the elections’ security.”
Additional reporting by Abdullah Momand
American Dollar Exchange Rate