Decisions are made by voters' thumbs not umpire's finger: Nawaz in Lodhran

LODHRAN: Nawaz Sharif told supporters at the rally in Lodhran that decisions are made by voter's thumbs not the umpires finger.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader said that he has come to the city to congratulate the people for the recent victory of his party in the by-election against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's candidate Ali Tareen.

"You have proven that decisions are made by voters thumbs not the umpire's finger," he said. "You have restored the sanctity and respect of vote."

Taking a jibe at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan, he said that "Ladla (favourite) said that he has taken decision to learn lesson from the Lodhran election. It will be the nation who will teach him a lesson."

Nawaz said that his political opponents did nothing other than telling lies and hurling false allegations, whereas his party served the masses.

"Ali Tareen said before election that they have already won the poll but only need to extend the lead," he said.

Earlier CM Punjab told the crowd in Lodhran that the voters had dismissed the arrogance of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairperson Imran Khan with which he had claimed prior victory in NA-154 by-polls.

He was addressing the workers convention in New Stadium of Lodhran Saturday, where former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz were also present.

The PML-N leaders are in Lodhran to thank locals for voting in the candidate fielded by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz on NA-154.

Preparations for the convention went on all night, as PML-N workers danced to the beat of drums in celebration of their leader’s arrival.

The NA-154 constituency in Lodhran fell vacant after the disqualification of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) former general secretary Jahangir Tareen in 2017 by the Supreme Court.

Major upset in Lodhran as PML-N wins NA-154 by-election: unofficial results

PML-N won by a margin of 27,609 votes according to provisional results

On February 12, PML-N fielded Syed Muhammad Iqbal Shah for the by-poll, while Jahangir’s son Ali Tareen contested from PTI.

PML-N’s Iqbal Shah won with 113,542 votes, while his competitor, Ali Tareen, contesting his first election on his father’s seat, attained 85,933 votes.

During the by-poll days, the district monitoring officer imposed a fine of Rs40,000 and Rs30,000 on Ali and Iqbal Shah, respectively, for violating the by-election's code of conduct by engaging in political campaigning after the deadline.

The Election Commission of Pakistan had also issued a notice to both candidates for their violations.