NA-249 by-poll: PML-N, PTI and others reject PPP's victory

KARACHI: Major political parties, including the PTI and the PML-N, have rejected the result of the NA-249 by-election held on Thursday. 

The PPP, on the other hand, celebrated its candidate Qadir Khan Mandokhail's victory, as unofficial results from the constituency's polling stations put him ahead of all other contestants when the counting stopped.  

Mandokhail won the Karachi seat by defeating 29 other candidates, including political bigwigs such as the PML-N's Miftah Ismail and the PSP's Mustafa Kamal. After the win, Mandokhail thanked the party's leaders and workers for voting for him.

Leaders from different political centres, issuing their policy statements after the vote count went against them, posed questions on the role played by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). 

PTI says by-poll was rigged

Dissatisfied with the result, the leaderships of various political parties said they would challenge the decision. "The by-poll was rigged in collusion with the ECP and police," said the PTI's Khurram Sher Zaman. "The ECP remained partial throughout the electioneering campaign. It absolutely failed in conducting free and fair polls."

The PPP and the PML-N did not campaign vigorously for the by-poll, said the PTI leader, adding that all pre-poll surveys indicated the PTI would win. But, suddenly on election day, a close contest began between the PPP and PML-N, he added.

The PPP has no vote bank in the constituency hence, it was difficult to comprehend how the party could bag so many votes, said Zaman. He alleged that the district returning officers, who came from Nawabshah, helped the PPP in its victory. 

The PTI MPA said his party will announce their future course of action in a press conference which will be held soon. 

Gill criticises the ECP's role

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication, Shahbaz Gill, also criticised the ECP's role, saying the commission could not announce the result of the votes, which were not that huge, despite the lapse of 10 hours.

He pointed out how every political party in Pakistan was speaking out against the verdict and not one was happy with it. 

Saying the turnout was a meagre 9.6%, Gill objected to holding the by-polls during the dangerous coronavirus pandemic and also, in the holy month of Ramadan. 

"It's beyond my comprehension why the election was convened in such a situation," he said.

'We will not accept results'

The PML-N also dismissed the election result. "We will not accept the result until a forensic audit of 15 polling stations is conducted," said Miftah Ismail, the PML-N's candidate.  "It's 3 am. And, results from polling stations have not been received so far."

Ismail wondered what had delayed the results, asserting that results from only 180 polling stations were received by 11 pm [on Thursday.] The PML-N leader claimed his party led the count on 190 polling stations, adding it was due to the delayed results that the party went down [in the count.] 

He highlighted that the election crew was from the Sindh government but the responsibility lay with the ECP.

"What is the reason behind the delay? We need a clarification," said the PML-N candidate, adding that the number of rejected votes were also not revealed. 

PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif's spokesperson Mohammad Zubair  said the party has "serious reservations" over the result, adding that the PML-N will not accept it. 

He wondered how the PPP had managed to emerge victorious after the poll, considering it was placed on number 5 in most surveys.

'Continuity of the 2018 general elections'

MQM-P's deputy convener Amir Khan also criticsed the NA-249 by-poll result, referring to it as a continuity of the 2018 general elections. The MQM-P leader also said he could not understand why the election result was delayed. 

"In the 2018 general election, the RTS system collapsed and the rigging system succeeded," he said. Khan said one political party was being favoured above all others, wondering what the reason for that is.

ECP asks parties to file complaints 

The ECP, on the other hand, said it would respond to any violations and take strict notice of them. "If anyone has a complaint to lodge, the election commission will hear it in accordance with the law," said the ECP spokesperson. 

"All decisions will be made on merit." 

'Voters have rejected PTI'

While announcing his party's victory, PPP leader Saeed Ghani said the result of the by-election in the NA-249 constituency clearly showed that the voters have rejected the PTI's policy.

"Voters in the NA-249 constituency have pinned hopes on the PPP. And we will not disappoint them," said Ghani, who is provincial education and labour minister, while thanking the people for reposing their confidence in the party.

"The PPP will also win the local bodies election in Karachi," he said, adding that the party will win more seats in the next general elections. 

The PPP leader said the turnout was thin as balloting began in the morning. Ghani said it was not possible for the PML-N to take the lead against the PPP's candidate at any time while the votes were being counted, adding it was the outlawed TLP that was seen leaving the PPP behind at one point.