Opposition bounces back in Pakistan by-elections

By Aamir Latif and Islamuddin Sajid

KARACHI / ISLAMABAD, Pakistan

Pakistan's opposition bounced back in Sunday’s crucial by-elections, capturing several seats from the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party, even as the PTI added four seats in the National Assembly overall, local media reported.

Unofficial results showed that the main opposition Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) of three-time Premier Nawaz Sharif, and the five-party religious alliance Muttehida Majlis e Amal (MMA), are leading in at least five national assembly seats, including three clinched by the PTI in the July 25 elections, which were marred by allegations of vote rigging.

Two of these seats -- from northeastern Lahore and southwestern Bannu -- had been personally won by Prime Minister Imran Khan. After winning a historic five seats in July, Khan vacated all but one, as required by law.

Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who had been defeated by PTI candidates in the July elections, managed to win from a Lahore constituency with a lead of over 45,000 votes.

According to unofficial results, the ruling PTI and PML(N) won four national seats each, while the Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid I Azam) and MMA bagged two seats and one seat, respectively.

In the four provincial assemblies, the ruling PTI won 12 out of total 24 seats while the opposition PML-N secured six, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) two, the Balochistan National Party one, and three independent candidates won seats in the Punjab and Balochistan provinces.

Election authorities are expected to announce official results on Monday.

In the July 25 general election, the center-right PTI, led by former cricket star and then-prime ministerial hopeful Imran Khan, emerged as the single largest party in the National Assembly, securing 151 seats.

Its archrival former Premier Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N trailed with 81 seats, followed by the center-left Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) with 54.

The five-party religious alliance MMA got 15 seats, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) got seven, and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) got three.

Sunday’s by-election strengthened the PTI’s position in the National Assembly, according to preliminary results, raising its seat count to 155, while the PML-N increased its seats to 85, the MMA moved up to 16, and the PML-Q raised its seat count to five.