Polling for by-elections on six National Assembly and seven Punjab Assembly seats has concluded after the electoral process was held amid tight security during the day.
Most seats fell vacant after the disqualification of PTI lawmakers convicted for their alleged involvement in the May 9, 2023 violent riots following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan.
The six NA constituencies where polling was conducted included one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, NA-18 (Haripur), and the rest in Punjab — NA-96 (Faisalabad), NA-104 (Faisalabad), NA-129 (Lahore), NA-143 (Sahiwal) and NA-185 (Dera Ghazi Khan).
The seven Punjab Assembly constituencies where by-polls were held were PP-73 (Sargodha), PP-87 (Mianwali), PP-98 (Faisalabad), PP-115 (Faisalabad), PP-116 (Faisalabad), PP-203 (Sahiwal) and PP-269 (Muzaffargarh).
Lahore
In NA-129 (Lahore-XIII), the seat fell vacant following the death of former Punjab governor and PTI stalwart Mian Muhammad Azhar. His grandson Chaudhry Arsalan is now contesting the by-poll, while the PML-N has fielded Hafiz Mian Muhammad Noman.
The PML-N shared a video of purported PTI camps having no party workers and no voters as late as 12:30pm at multiple polling stations in Samanabad and on Poonch Road. Meanwhile, the video showed people gathering at PML-N camps.
On the other hand, later in the day, the PTI’s Sahiwal chapter shared a video on X showing supporters thronging its party camp in Lahore’s Sabzazaar area, while that of the PML-N had comparatively fewer people.
PML-N’s Bilal Farooq Tarrar, who won the Wazirabad by-elections earlier this month, visited a polling station in Gulshan-i-Ravi, where party supporters greeted him.
PML-N’s Rana Mashhood Ahmad, head of Prime Minister’s Youth Programme, cast his vote at the Pak Angel School polling station in Union Council 100, APP reported.
He said, “Every vote given to Hafiz Mian Muhammad Nauman is a guarantee of a fair and strong mandate to advance the journey of public service, transparent leadership and sustainable development.”
Earlier in the day, absconding PTI leader Hammad Azhar alleged on X that ballot paper books received by the presiding officers at polling station No.330 (Government Model Girls High School, Samanabad) were less than the number of books issued to them.
However, an official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, pointed out that the serial numbers (5179-5194) mentioned in Form-36 (“Packing Invoice” containing the quantity of ballot paper books) confirmed that 15 ballot books had been issued.
Faisalabad
Faisalabad is witnessing elections on two NA seats, NA-96 and NA-104, and three provincial seats — PP-98, PP-115 and PP-116.
In NA-96, the PML-N has fielded Muhammad Bilal Badar Chaudhry, brother of Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry.
In NA-104, the PML-N has nominated Daniyal Ahmed, who is contesting against three independent candidates. Ahmed previously contested the elections and lost to PTI ally Sahibzada Hamid Raza, who secured 132,655 votes. Ahmed is the son of former NA opposition leader Raja Riaz.
The voter turnout was also reported to be low as of 12pm.
The PML-N has set up its party camps outside numerous polling stations, while Ahmed’s rival Rana Hassan Javed did not have his camps outside many stations.
Video footage of Faisalabad City Police Officer Bilal Omer’s visit to multiple polling stations also showed barely any voters present, with cops filling the venue instead.
In PP-98, the party has nominated Azad Ali Tabbasum, who is contesting against nine independent candidates.
Workers at the camps of PML-N’s Tabbasum and independent candidates Wasim Akram Chattha and Haji Ajmal Cheema at a government school polling station reported “almost no voters” at around 12pm.
Due to the low turnout, an announcement was made on a mosque’s loudspeaker in Chak Jhumra tehsil’s Chandian Talawan locality, urging people to cast their ballots.
The party had not nominated any candidate in this constituency in the 2024 elections, backing instead the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) candidate Muhammad Ajmal, who was runner-up to PTI-backed Junaid Afzal Sahi.
In PP-115, the ruling party’s candidate Muhammad Tahir Pervez is facing three independents and an Awami Justice Party Pakistan (AJPP) candidate. Pervez also contested the 2024 polls and remained runner-up to PTI-backed Shahid Javed.
In PP-116, the PML-N has nominated Ahmed Shaharyar, the son-in-law of Senator Rana Sanaullah. He is contesting against five independents and a Pakistan Nazriyati Party (PNP) candidate.
Shaharyar also cast a vote for himself. In the 2024 polls, he was the runner-up with 52,517 votes.
Speaking to the media, Sanaullah said there had been “no complaints” from anywhere in the constituency about the polling process.
“We hope that people will vote for service, progress and solutions to their issues,” he said, adding that the PML-N deserved the ballot for serving the people.
On the PTI’s boycott of the by-polls, Sanaullah said, “Imran Khan sahib is not even doing politics. He has never done politics. It is this country’s and the public’s misfortune that he was brought [into power].”
Asked about reported violations of the electoral code of conduct, the senator asserted that there had been no arrests or legal actions taken against any political opponent in the entire constituency.
More than 6,500 security personnel were deployed at 1,240 polling stations established in the five constituencies, APP quoted a police spokesman as saying. The stations included 64 of Category-A, 610 of Category-B and 566 stations of Category-C.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nasir Mahmood Bajwa reviewed the security of Category-A and Category-B polling stations with other senior officers in PP-115 and PP-116.
All independent candidates of the five constituencies have claimed that they are being backed by the PTI leadership. It is pertinent to mention that the PTI has announced the boycott of these by-elections, except for those in Haripur and Lahore.
The PML-N is likely to win all five seats up thanks to the PTI’s official boycott, the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) being in no condition to contest due to the recent ban on it, and the PPP fielding no candidate.
In a statement, the provincial election commissioner’s office said a man, identified as Muhammad Kaleem, was arrested for sharing a video of his ballot paper with a vote for the PML-N on social media.
“Violating the secrecy of the vote is a legal offence,” the district returning officer was quoted as saying.
The ECP official directed security officials to ensure that no voter entered the polling stations with their mobile phones. Directives were also issued to the presiding officers and the polling staff to ensure secrecy of the vote.
Dera Ghazi Khan
In NA-185 (DG Khan-II), PPP’s Dost Muhammad Khosa and the PML-N’s Mehmood Qadir Khan Leghari are among the key candidates.
The seat had fallen vacant after the disqualification of PTI’s Zartaj Gul. Leghari, a sitting MPA, is a self-made businessman, not directly related to the family of late former president Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari.
NA-185 is one of the three NA constituencies in the district and encompasses populous urban areas, according to the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen).
A total of 226 polling stations with 860 booths have been set up, including 434 male and 426 female booths, APP reported. The constituency has 418,310 registered voters, comprising 222,392 men and 195,918 women.
According to the district administration, four polling stations have been declared highly sensitive, 53 sensitive, and 169 normal due to security concerns.
Haripur
While the PTI had announced an official boycott of most by-elections, it is contesting on Haripur’s NA-18 seat left vacant after the disqualification of former NA opposition leader Omar Ayub.
The PTI leader’s wife, Shehrnaz Omar Ayub, is now contesting the seat and will face PML-N’s Babar Nawaz and PPP’s Irum Fatima Turk. Shehrnaz has been allotted the “kettle” symbol.
PTI-backed Shehrnaz is contesting an election for the first time. While Ayub and former MPA Momina Basit had been campaigning for her, Shehrnaz herself abstained from appearing in public meetings and only addressed women-specific election meetings.
Polling was largely peaceful with no poll-related violence reported from across the constituency, which spans about 1,726 square kilometres.
While the turnout remained poor between 8am and 12pm due to the cold winter weather, there was a sudden increase in voters showing up at polling stations after 12pm, a Dawn correspondent reported.
Speaking to the media in Haripur’s Khalabat Township, Ayub said he was hopeful of a “clean sweep” on all 29 polling stations in the union council. Another video shared by the PTI showed camps of the PML-N set up outside a polling station in Haripur.
A total of 753,944 registered voters, comprising 392,339 male and 361,605 female voters, are expected to cast their ballots, according to the ECP.
APP reported that 602 polling stations have been established across the constituency. Of these, 462 polling stations have been declared normal, 100 sensitive, and 40 highly sensitive. The ECP has deployed 4,414 polling staff to manage the electoral process.
Babar, who had earlier served as MNA during 2015-2018, has won the support of his party leaders, including Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s husband, retired Captain Safdar Awan.
According to observers, Haripur’s political landscape remains dominated by patronage rather than ideology. Not a single woman in the district’s history could ever make it to the provincial or the National Assembly in a direct election.
Sahiwal
For NA-143, PML-N has fielded Muhammad Tufail Jutt against independent candidate Zarrar Akbar Choudhary.
In PP-203, the PML-N’s Muhammad Hanif Jutt, brother of Muhammad Tufail Jutt, is contesting against independent candidate Sardar Falak Sher Dogar.
Sargodha
From PP-73, the PML-N has fielded Mian Sultan Ali Ranjha as its candidate.
Mianwali
In Mianwali’s PP-87, the PML-N has fielded Ali Haider Noor Khan as its candidate.
Muzaffargarh
In PP-269 of Muzaffargarh, Mian Alamdar Qureshi is contesting as the PPP’s candidate.
Polling at the Karam Dad polling station was “paused for a few minutes” following clashes between two parties, the spokesperson for the election commissioner of Punjab said in a statement.
“However, later on, law enforcement agencies confirmed that the polling had resumed after a short break,” the spokesperson said.
Security personnel deployed
According to the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) code of conduct for the armed forces, troops will be deployed outside polling stations declared “most sensitive” and will remain in quick-response mode at the remaining stations as third-tier responders.
The personnel have been directed to perform duties strictly in accordance with Article 245 of the Constitution, the law and the mandate assigned to the armed forces to assist the election regulator.
While stationed outside selected polling stations, they have been instructed to focus solely on ensuring a secure environment, complying with all relevant laws, and maintaining public confidence by safeguarding voters and preserving law and order throughout the polling process.
They have been barred from preventing any eligible voter from entering a polling station, except in cases involving weapons, explosives, prohibited items or attempts to incite violence or threaten national security.
In Punjab, where by-elections for 12 of the 13 vacant seats are taking place, more than 20,000 police personnel have been deployed for security in the province’s national and provincial constituencies.
In a post on X, the Punjab police said it was on “high alert”. It asserted there was “zero tolerance” for the violation of the ECP’s code of conduct, restrictions under Section 144, and the ban on arms.
“The polling process is being continuously monitored from the Central Police Office, the Safe City Authority, and the control and monitoring rooms of districts,” the police said.
Noting that the police had the full assistance of the Rangers and the army, Punjab police chief Dr Usman Anwar said, “All formations, including the Dolphin Squad, Special Branch and CTD (Counter-Terrorism Department), are being employed for the elections’ security.”
More to follow
