Vote counting underway as polling concludes for by-election
ISLAMABAD: Polling concluded for the by-elections in six National Assembly and seven Punjab Assembly constituencies, where voters turned out in Lahore, Faisalabad, Sahiwal, Sargodha, Mianwali, Muzaffargarh, Haripur and several other areas.
The vote, which began at 8am under strict security measures, continued uninterrupted until closing time at 5pm.
By-elections were held in six National Assembly constituencies — NA-18 (Haripur), NA-96 (Faisalabad), NA-104 (Faisalabad), NA-129 (Lahore), NA-143 (Sahiwal) and NA-185 (Dera Ghazi Khan).
Polling was also held in seven Punjab Assembly constituencies, PP-73 (Sargodha), PP-87 (Mianwali), PP-98 (Faisalabad), PP-115 (Faisalabad), PP-116 (Faisalabad), PP-203 (Sahiwal) and PP-269 (Muzaffargarh).
The seats became vacant largely due to the disqualification of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers convicted in cases related to the May 9, 2023, riots following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said that the election material, including ballot papers, has safely reached the polling stations, foolproof security arrangements have been made, and specific instructions have been issued to authorities concerned to ensure the conduct of free and fair elections.
NA-18 and NA-129 are among the few high-profile constituencies where the electoral contest will be of paramount interest. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed disqualified MNA Omar Ayub Khan’s spouse Ms Shehnaz will face Babar Nawaz of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) in NA-18, while the late Mian Azhar’s nephew Arsalan Ahma,d is being seen as a potential rival to PMLN’s Hafiz Mian Nauman in Lahore’s NA-129, The News reported.
As per the code of conduct released for the armed forces/civil armed forces, the personnel performed their duties in accordance with the role of the Armed Forces defined in Article 245 of the Constitution of Pakistan, the law and within the confines of the mandate assigned to Armed Forces to assist the ECP.
