PML-N Leads in Several Seats in Pakistan's By-Elections, Initial Trends Suggest

Initial trends from Pakistan's by-election on Sunday showed that the ruling alliance led by Nawaz Sharif's PML-N was leading on several seats. Polling was held for 21 national and provincial seats in the by-elections, which took place amidst tight security and suspension of cellular and internet services in some districts of Punjab and Balochistan to maintain law and order. According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), voting began at 8 am and continued without any break until 5 pm with the provision that voters present within the premises of polling stations would be allowed to cast votes even after the expiry of official timing.Major political parties, including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) participated in the by-polls. However, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl of Maulana Fazlur Rehman boycotted the polls. Counting started immediately after the polling concluded, and private news channels began to air unofficial results of individual polling stations. However, complete official results were expected late at night or, in some cases, by early on Monday.According to Geo News, PML-N candidates were in the lead on two National Assembly seats from Punjab, and PPP was leading on one seat from Sindh. It said that a SIC candidate was leading on one seat in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), while an independent candidate was heading the second seat from KP. As far as competition on the provincial seats was concerned, the PML-N was leading on eight Punjab provincial assembly seats while SIC was ahead of others on three seats. An independent candidate was leading on one seat. PML-N was leading on one seat in Balochistan, while the Balochistan National Party candidate was leading on the second seat from the province. In KP, a candidate supported by SIC was leading on one seat, while an independent candidate was winning on the second seat.Meanwhile, despite elaborate security measures taken by authorities to maintain law and order situation, at least one person was killed and several others injured in clashes during the polling in Punjab province, according to police. Violent clashes took place in Narowal, Sheikhpura and Rahim Yar Khan in which one person was killed and several injured, the Punjab police said. In Narowal, some 120 km from Lahore, a clash took place between supporters of former prime ministers Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif outside a polling station.Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said the victim was a member of Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) who was killed by workers of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. In Sheikhupura and Rahim Yar Khan districts of Punjab, at least five workers of the two rival parties suffered bullet injuries during clashes. Similarly in Lahore, PTI and PML-N workers scuffled on setting up polling camps. Police arrested four persons, including PTI leader Shabbir Gujjar.The general elections were held across the country on February 8 to elect representatives for the national assembly and four provincial assemblies. Polls were, however, cancelled for one National Assembly seat, two Punjab Assembly seats and one seat of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. Apart from these, candidates who won more than one seat opted for only one after the elections, leaving the ECP to organise by-elections on 21 seats, including five national and 16 provincial assembly seats.A day earlier, the federal government announced that cellular services would remain temporarily suspended in specific districts of Punjab and Balochistan during the by-elections. The suspension request was made by the electoral watchdog. In a statement, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said the decision was taken to safeguard the integrity and security of the electoral process.Social media platform X has also been shut down in Pakistan since February 17 after a top bureaucrat accused Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa of being involved in rigging at the behest of the military establishment to install Shehbaz Sharif's government.By-elections were held on two seats of National Assembly each in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and one seat in Sindh while polling began on 12 seats of Punjab Assembly and two each of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan assemblies.In Punjab, NA-132 Kasur and NA-119 Lahore were vacated by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz while Shehbaz also gave up two of his provincial assembly seats in Lahore. The prime minister retained his NA-123 seat in National Assembly.Elaborate security measures were taken by authorities to control law and order situation with deployment of regular army troops to maintain peace during day-long process of by-elections. The ECP had asked federal government to approve deployment of Pakistan Army and Civil Armed Forces (CAF) troops to keep peace.The federal government endorsed move and announced use of armed forces units as quick response force. The Ministry of Interior in its notification issued Friday said CAF and Pakistan Army units would be used as second and third tiers of security; they would be available with immediate effect till April 22 in all 21 constituencies."The exact number of troops, date/period, area and mode of deployment would be worked out by ECP in consultation with all concerned stakeholders based on ground requirement/ assessment. The date of de-requisitioning said deployment will be decided subsequently after mutual consultation among all stakeholders," notification said.Earlier Punjab government had also asked federal government to suspend mobile internet services in province's 13 districts/tehsils on April 21 to maintain law & order. Move comes despite severe criticism by media & political leaders over similar step taken on February 8 when mobile services were suspended in various regions to maintain law & order.