NEW DELHI – Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan won six of the seven parliamentary seats he contested in Sunday’s byelections, enthusing his supporters for a bigger political contest.
The by-polls for eight National Assembly seats and three Punjab provincial assembly seats were seen as a test of popularity for Imran and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Though he cannot represent more than one constituency in parliament, Imran’s decision to contest seven seats was intended to send a political message.
Imran’s party lost only two National Assembly seats, which went to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), a member of the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
Of the seven parliamentary seats he contested, Imran lost Karachi’s Malir constituency, initial results showed.
The other crucial seat the PTI lost was Multan, where party vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s daughter Mehr Bano Qureshi was defeated by Ali Musa Gilani, son of former premier Yusuf Raza Gilani.
The PML-N won one Punjab provincial assembly seat and the remaining two went to the PTI.
The latest bypoll results show that Imran’s relentless campaign on a host of issues against the multi-party alliance known as Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) has worked.
The PDM ousted the PTI government in Islamabad via a no-confidence vote in April.
The nation of 220 million remains embroiled in political turmoil since then as Imran has alleged his opponents came to power in a foreign-backed plot against him.
His win is symbolic as the party’s lawmakers quit the lower house of parliament en masse on April 11 and have stayed away from the proceedings since Shehbaz became prime minister.
The house speaker accepted some resignations in July.
Elections will have to be organised again after Imran resigns from the seats he has won.
The PTI is demanding an immediate general election, arguing that political instability is harming the nation’s economy.
The party won 15 of the 20 Punjab provincial assembly seats in July’s by-election.
“In the last three months there have been elections on 32 seats. PTI has won 24 of these, which is 75 per cent. This is called a landslide,” senior PTI leader Asad Umar said on Monday. – Bernama
