PTI suffers setback in by-election as PML-N gains

KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) suffered some serious setbacks in the by-election on Sunday, which marked the second major political showdown after the July 25 general election.

In Lahore, the PTI lost its seat to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which had put forth Khawaja Saad Rafique as its candidate against the ruling party's Humayun Akhtar. The NA-131 constituency was previously won by now-Prime Minister Imran Khan.

In NA-35, Bannu, another seat that Khan had vacated, the victor was Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam's (JUI) Zahid Durrani, with whom the PML-N had allied itself against the PTI.

Further, the NA-56, Attock seat, bagged earlier by the PTI, was won by PML-N's Malik Sohail Khan.

In NA-103, Faisalabad, PML-N’s Ali Gohar Baloch defeated PTI’s Saadullah Baloch as he secured 77, 539 votes.

Of the 11 Punjab Assembly seats, the PML-N won six and the PTI secured three, whereas two independent candidates won the other two seats.

In PP-27, Jhelum, on the seat vacated by Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, PML-N's Nasir Mahmood emerged victor with 60,492 votes.

The PTI also lost to the PML-N in PP-292, Dera Ghazi Khan, which is the hometown of Usman Buzdar, the incumbent chief minister of Punjab, and where Sardar Awais Laghari of the latter party toppled Sardar Maqsood Laghari of the former.

The ruling party further lost its PP-222, Multan seat to Qasim Abbas Khan, an independent.

As for PK-3 and PK-7, the two seats in Swat that the PTI had won in the July 25 general election, PML-N's Sardar Khan and the Awami National Party (ANP), respectively, won. Swat is the hometown of Mahmood Khan, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.