Imran Khan led Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) recorded a sweeping victory in the all-important Punjab by-polls
The outcome of the by-elections to 20 seats of the Punjab Assembly held in a largely peaceful manner on Sunday has not just sealed the fate of Hamza Shehbaz’s government in Punjab but also sent alarm bells ringing for Shehbaz Sharif’s federal government.
All the seats the PTI claimed on July 17 either directly belonged to the party or were won by the independents who later joined it during the government formation process. Imran Khan led a vigorous campaign against those who had ditched the party during the first poll for chief minister on April 16 and voted for Hamza.
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Following this landslide win Imran Khan has demanded fresh general elections in Pakistan.
The election for the chief minister will be held on July 22 on the Supreme Court’s order and PTI-PMLQ joint candidate Chaudhary Parvez Elahi is likely to be the new chief minister of the politically crucial province of Punjab.
PTI chairman Khan in a tweet on Sunday thanked party workers and voters of Punjab for defeating, what he called, not just PML-N candidates, but the entire state machinery, especially harassment by police and a totally biased Election Commission of Pakistan.
He also thanked the PTI allies PML-Q, Majlis-i-Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).
The only way forward from here is to hold fair and free elections under a credible ECP. Any other path will only lead to greater political uncertainty and further economic chaos, Khan, who was ousted as prime minister in April after he lost a confidence vote in Parliament, said.
PTI party’s senior leader Asad Umar said Khan would announce the party strategy after a meeting of the core committee on Monday.
He said now the PML-N is left with only one option and that is “immediately calling for fresh general elections.”