The Sindh High Court rejected on Thursday a petition of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf challenging the results of the bye-election of NA-237 Malir constituency of Karachi.

PTI’s Ali Zaidi had filed the petition Tuesday challenging Pakistan Peoples Party’s Abdul Hakeem Baloch Sunday win against PTI chief Imran Khan, alleging massive rigging. In a press conference later the same day, Zaidi urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold re-election on the seat.

In the bye-election held on Sunday, the PPP candidate obtained 32,567 votes while Imran Khan stood second with 22,493 votes, as per unofficial and unconfirmed results from all 194 polling stations.

In the plea, the PTI has made the ECP, the Sindh Government and Abdul Hakeem Baloch party to the application while accusing the PPP of casting ’’fake votes“.

The plea added that the PTI had notified the ECP of rigging while calling for a transparent investigation of complaints.

During today’s hearing, the SHC remarked that the PTI has the option to approach the election tribunal in case rigging took place.

The PTI lawyer responded that they had approached the ECP regarding the tribunal “but that door was not opened”.

NA 237 Malir

In Malir, eleven candidates contested for the by-election. Apart from Imran Khan and Abdul Hakeem Baloch, TLP’s Samiullah and PSP’s Aamir Shekhani contested from the same constituency.

The seat had fallen vacant after the resignation of PTI’s Jameel Muhammad.

The federal government has advised the PTI to return to Parliament and to have consultation and dialogue on Imran Khan’s demand for early elections. The government, however, warned the PTI of a “befitting reply” if it marched towards Islamabad with the aim to dislodge the coalition government.

“This will be the last time the PTI will march towards Islamabad,” Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Monday. “Electoral victory is not a license to storm Islamabad. We are completely prepared for it.”

The PTI has announced that it would begin its “long march” - or the march for real freeom as Imran Khan refers to it - towards Islamabad and oust the incumbent government. The PTI and its party leaders have repeatedly said that the incumbent PML-N led coalition government is “imported” and it was brought to power through a foreign-sponsored regime change. Imran has already advised party workers to complete preparations for the protest. He also took oaths regarding the same from party members in Punjab.

During his press conference, PML-N’s Sanaullah stressed that Parliament is for everyone. He reiterated Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s earlier offer of talks to Imran for improving the economic situation of the country.

Sanaullah opined that the PTI’s brand of politics fan the flames of hatred and engenders mob mentality, which he called detrimental for the country’s political and economic environment.

“If PTI wants to continue with their brand of politics and the people accept it, then they should get ready for the response.”

‘High electricity tariff cost election’

He admitted that the government was not able to resolve issues pertaining to inflation and high electricity tariff. “They (PTI) got some votes because of WAPDA,” he said.

Sanaullah explained that the prevailing issues would be resolved in the next two to three months, adding that floods triggered by rains “affected” the public relief initiatives.

Vote count

He advised Imran to respect the vote and voters of rival parties. “The PTI received 547,642 votes in the bye-elections in eight constituencies of the National Assembly and the PDM polled 475,370 votes. Imran wants us to accept these votes. so also respect the votes of others.”

The interior minister said that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif would lead the party’s campaign in the next general elections.

KARACHI: Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan broke his own record by winning six seats simultaneously in the bye-election on Sunday. The PTI chief had contested by-polls on seven out of the eight National Assembly seats.

In the 2018 general elections, he won five seats and became the only lawmaker to win the maximum number of seats in a single election.

However, the Constitution and rules said that a member of parliament cannot retain more than one seat. Hence, Imran, who’s already a lawmaker from a NA seat, has to vacate at least six seats.

Read: Bye-elections: PTI wins six NA, two PA seats

Article 223 of the Constitution barred MPs from double membership. “No person shall, at the same time, be a member of- a. both Houses; or b. a House and a provincial assembly; or c. the assemblies of two or more provinces; or d. a House or a provincial assembly in respect of more than one seat,” said the first clause of the article.

But the second clause of the same law said that nothing in the above-mentioned clause “shall prevent” a person from being a candidate for two or more seats at the same time.

Which seat will Imran vacate?

The second clause of Article 223 of the Constitution also said that “if he is elected to more than one seat he shall, within a period of 30 days after the declaration of the result for the last such seat, resign all but one of his seats, and if he does not so resign, all the seats to which he has been elected shall become vacant at the expiration of the said period of thirty days except the seat to which he has been elected last or, if he has been elected to more than one seat on the same day, the seat for election to which his nomination was filed last.”

The law also elaborated on the number of seats an elected candidate can retain with themselves.

It added: “A person to whom clause (2) applies shall not take a seat in either House or the provincial assembly to which he has been elected until he has resigned all but one of his seats.”

Read: Former PM Imran says by-election ‘a referendum’ on his popularity

Subject to clause (2), the law said: “if a member of either House or of a provincial assembly becomes a candidate for a second seat which, in accordance with clause (1), he may not hold concurrently with his first seat, then his first seat shall become vacant as soon as he is elected to the second seat.”

In view of the law, the PTI chief does not have the option of leaving all the seats he won on Sunday and retaining the same Mianwali seat from where he was elected a member of Parliament.

Resultantly, Imran has to keep one seat out of the total he won in bye-elections.

The former premier’s nomination papers from NA 108 Nankana were accepted in the last on August 24 while he had filed documents from other constituencies on August 12.

The above stated law would only be applicable if Imran himself does not announce his decision to vacate the additional seats. The first condition was that he retained one out of the total seats won on Sunday.

ANP’s Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, who lost to Imran in the Peshawar constituency, has refused to accept the results and announced his decision to move the Election Commission of Pakistan or the court. So, retaining the seat of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s capital could be difficult for the former PM.

Read: Campaign for by-elections on 11 NA, PA seats ends

Imran beat PML-N leaders Abid Sher Ali and Shezra Mansab in Faisalabad and Nankana respectively. He clinched the Charsadda’s seat after beating ANP’s Aimal Wali with a margin of 10,000 to 15,000 votes, the PTI chief also won by a big margin in Karachi’s NA 239.

When bye-elections will be held on vacant seats?

As earlier mentioned, Imran has to make a decision on the additional seats within 30 days of the announcement of the results. And, if he does not make a decision in the stipulated period then all except one of his seats would be declared vacant.

The results announcement was expected within a week after which the 30-day countdown would begin for Imran.

The ECP has to organise elections within a month after the end of the period. Such a restriction was mentioned in Article 224 (time of election and bye-election) of the Constitution.

It would take around two months for the ECP to organise bye-elections if the PTI chief immediately vacates the seats. Or else it would be held for more than two months. However, it would be different if the assemblies were dissolved in this period.

Translated from the original Urdu here by Fahim Hussain.

ISLAMABAD: District Monitoring Officer Faisalabad on Sunday took notice of Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah’s media talk and ordered the federal minister to leave the constituency.

DMO said that holding a press conference by a public office-bearer on the polling day within the jurisdiction of a constituency was a violation of the code of conduct.

Earlier, DMO Faisalabad issued a notice to Sanaullah for violating the code of conduct in the by-elections.

Sanaullah has been summoned for conducting the election campaign of Abid Sher Ali in the constituency.

The District Returning Officer has issued strict instructions to Deputy Commissioner and CPO Faisalabad to evict the public office holders immediately from the constituency limits.

“No public office holder is allowed to enter the constituency till the completion of the election process, if any government employee helps the public office holders to enter the constituency, disciplinary action will be taken against him,” the returning officer said in a statement.

It should be noted that by-elections are being held today (Sunday) on eight seats of National Assembly and three seats of Punjab Assembly.

Abid Sher Ali is contesting from NA 108 Faisalabad against PTI candidate Imran Khan.

Pakistan Tehreek Insaf is in the lead as unofficial results from eight National Assembly and three Punjab Assembly seats started pouring in, with PTI chairperson Imran Khan winning six seats out of the total of eight NA seats up for grabs. The PTI has also secured two of three Punjab Assembly seats, bolstering its position in the legislature of the country’s largest province.

As per the unofficial results PTI chairman won Peshawar’s NA-31 by-election. Imran Khan bagged 57,824. His rival Ghulam Ahmed Bilour secured 32,253 votes. Bilour refused to accept the results, accused the he KP government of rigging saying that the the KP government interfered in the elections.

In the Mardan NA-22 by-poll, the PTI chairman secured 76,681 votes while JUI-F’s Maulana Muhammad Qasim secured 68,181 votes. The PTI chairman won by 8,500 votes, as per unofficial results.

In Charsadda NA-24 by-polls, the PTI chairman managed to bag 78,589 votes and ANP’s Aimal Wali Khan got 68,356 votes. Imran Khan won the contest by 10,233 votes, as per unofficial results.

Imran Khan won NA-108 Faisalabad and bagged 99,602 votes. He defeated PML-N’s Abid Sher Ali who secured 75,131 votes.

PTI candidates Faisal Khan Niazi PP-209 Khanewal and Malik Muzaffar Khan won and PP-241 Bahawalnagar.

PML-N’s Chaudhry Iftikhar Ahmed Bhangoo won the PP-139 Sheikhupura seat.

However, in a blow to the PTI, former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s daughter Meher Bano Qureshi lost the NA-157 Multan by-election to PPP’s Syed Ali Musa Gillani, who is son of former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani.

In Karachi, Imran Khan lost NA-237 to PPP’s Abdul Hakim Khan but recaptured NA239 for his party, defeating MQMP’s Syed Nayyar Reza.

Earlier, the polling started at 8am and continued till 5pm without any interruption with clashes reported in some constituencies.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said that overall, the polling process remained peaceful, and the commission’s central control room received 15 complaints of code violations which were resolved immediately.

The bye-polls were being held in three provinces – Punjab, where three seats of national and three of the provincial assembly are vacant; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where it is being held for three NA seats, and Sindh, where candidates are competing for two NA seats.

Eight NA constituencies:

Mardan

Charsadda

Peshawar

Faisalabad

Nankana Sahib

Malir

Korangi

Karachi

Multan

Three Punjab Assembly constituencies:

Sheikhupura

Bahawalnagar

Khanewal

A total of 101 candidates from different political parties and independents are taking part in the vote: 52 in Punjab, 33 in Sindh and 16 in KP.

In Punjab, 1,434 polling stations are established, 979 in KP and 340 in Karachi.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan is trying his luck in seven seats out of eight NA constituencies.

The polling staff, polling material, ballot papers, and polling bags were delivered to their respective polling stations on Saturday with complete security.

Read: Campaign for by-elections on 11 NA, PA seats ends

All presiding officers would arrive at their polling stations and set up polling booths by Saturday evening, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

The officers concerned in Karachi, Lahore, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad were monitoring the process of delivery of polling materials from the control room.

Separate special control rooms have been established at central and provincial levels to promptly resolve election related complaints in the conduct of impartial elections.

Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja wrote a letter on Saturday to Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh chief secretaries, and inspector generals of police to provide comprehensive security to polling staff, candidates, and political parties.

Complaints registration

“Complaints can be registered in central control room Islamabad at 051-9210837 and 051-9204402; 051-9210838. Complaints can also be communicated through fax number 051-9204404 and email; [email protected],” the APP reported

The provincial control room, Lahore could be contacted at landline telephone 042-99212620; 042-99212209 and email [email protected]

The Sindh control room could be contacted at 021-99205338; Mobile no 0334-3895812;0331-3584450 and 0300-9374192; email [email protected]

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa control room, Peshawar contact no is 091-9222475;091-9211034; email [email protected].

PTI leader Asad Umar has accused the PPP-led Sindh government of using state machinery to rig bye-elections, which began in 11 constituencies – eight of the National Assembly and three of the Punjab Assembly – on Sunday.

“The government machinery was being used in [Karachi]’s Malir,” he told reporters after a visit to the PTI Markaz Election Control Centre in Islamabad. “Arms are being displayed and fighting is reported in Malir constituency, special branch people and government people are there to influence the election.”

The bye-polls are being held in three provinces – Punjab, where three seats of national and three of the provincial assembly are vacant; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where it is being held for three NA seats, and Sindh, where candidates are competing for two NA seats.

Former premier Imran is contesting elections on seven out of eight NA constituencies. A total of 101 candidates from different political parties and independents are taking part in the vote: 52 in Punjab, 33 in Sindh, and 16 in KP.

Imran, who has described the by-polls as a referendum, urged the people to vote. He added that the PTI was fighting against the multi-party confab and the ECP

“This is a referendum for Haqiqi Azadi from the cabal of crooks. We are contesting against all of PDM, the Election Commission and ‘namaloom afraad’,” he said in a tweet.

Umar said: “Victory is the fate of Imran Khan. If free and fair elections are held, the PTI will get 2/3 majority and Imran’s vote will be present in every nook and cranny of the country.”

He claimed that the people have come out for “real freedom”, a phrase of his party to oust the incumbent government which they claimed was “imported and slave”.

“The whole nation is watching today’s by-election,” he said.

The PTI leader accused Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah of violating the election code of conduct.

Umar slammed the incumbent government for hours-long load-shedding, adding that the country has “7,000 to 8,000” more electricity than required.

“The government could not even buy gases. The reality is different from what appears behind the backdoor,” he said.

PESHAWAR: A widely-shared video shows Awami National Party (AWP) Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Samar Bilour casting her vote in the on-going bye-election.

The Election Commission has taken notice of the video as it violates the code of conduct pertaining to secrecy of vote.

In the video, taken by another individual, Bilour can be seen stamping the election symbol of her party. She then shows off her thumb.

Taking notice of the video, the ECP has sought a report from the district returning officer and the returning officer of the polling station.

FAISALABAD: A wedding party in Faisalabad took a detour to allow the groom to cast his vote in the by-election for the NA-108 constituency, where PTI chief Imran Khan is up against PML-N’s Abid Sher Ali.

The groom visited polling station number 17 to cast his vote.

PTI’s Farrukh Habib won the seat in 2018 by a whisker, beating Abid Sher Ali by 1,211 votes. The seat was vacated after the NA speaker accepted Habib’s resignation along with 10 others of the PTI.

A total of 123 PTI lawmakers had submitted their resignation frthe resignations of 11 out of the 123 PTI lawmakers who had supiecemeal resignations of PTI lawmakers who had tendered their resignation in the wake of Imran Khan’s ouster as prime minister in the vote of no confidence in April.

**PESHAWAR: Police intervened to amicably break up a potential clash between workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the Awami National Party at a polling station of the NA-31 constituency.

The arrival of PTI MPA Asif Khan at the Municipal Inter-Girls College polling station elicited a strong reaction from ANP workers. They claimed that the PTI legislator was trying to influence the election.

The bitter exchange resulted in sloganeering and aggressive posturing, due to which the polling proceess had to be stopped.

Police made a few arrests and ejected the rest of the workers after which polling resumed.

In a separate incident, the security guard of a PTI union council nazim was arrested over a clash with a policeman deployed at the same polling station. The policeman was injured in the altercation, with the guard taken into custody. An FIR has been registered at the Faqirabad police station.

The NA-31 candidates include PTI chief Imran Khan, ANP leader Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, Mohammad Aslam of the Jamaat-i-Islami, Saeedullah Khan of the Rah-i-Haq Party, Abdul Qadir of the Tehreek-i-Jawanan Pakistan, former MNA Shaukat Ali, who had vacated this seat and is a covering candidate for Mr Imran, and independent candidates Emran Khan and Shaukat Ali.

KARACHI: PTI MPA Bilal Ghaffar got injured after clashes between two groups in the NA 237 constituency, Malir Ghazi Goth area. He was shifted to the hospital.

“I was with Bilal Ghaffarm now we are taking him to the hospital. He has suffered head and nose injuries. We are heading to the police station from here to register a first information report (FIR),” PTI leader Ali Zaidi told Aaj News.

The former ruling party has alleged that the PPP workers had attacked their MPA and party leaders. The Sindh ruling party has denied such allegations, saying that their workers were “peaceful”.

The police have claimed that the polling was being done peacefully, adding that more than 7,500 security personnel were performing duties in both polling stations.

Zaidi alleged that PPP MPA Saleem Baloch pistol-whipped Ghaffar, adding that later other “thugs” of PPP hit him.

“We had gone there to have a conversation in a peaceful manner and we had no fight with them,” he said, adding that he would share the next step later.

To a query over the process of the election, he said that it was fine till the morning but the PPP has turned to thuggery as they fear defeat in the by-election. He accused the Sindh-ruling party of bringing workers to cast fake votes. He demanded more deployment of Rangers and police at polling stations.

He was not satisfied with the electoral process and law enforcement agencies.

Asad Umar, the former planning minister, alleged that Ghaffar was attacked by the thugs of the PPP. “Clear signs of large-scale rigging by PPP are visible in NA 237 Malir in Karachi,” he said in a tweet.

PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry strongly condemned the incident. “The PPP is a fascist party and just as the brave people of Karachi ended the terrorism of MQM, they will also teach a lesson to the thuggery of the PPP,” he said in a tweet.

Fawad told reporters in Nankana that PTI chief Imran, who is contesting elections on seven constituencies, would clinch the polls and it would be the “last election of PPP”. He reiterated PTI’s words that “it was a referundum” that the people want early elections.

Later, Zaidi reached the Malir Police Station.

The police said that workers of both parties were present there and they got into an argument which lead to fighting. But the situation was “under control” after which the polling process was stopped for half an hour.

They added that the polling was again started after dispersing workers from both parties.

The administration has increased the deployment of police in Ghazi Goth.

CHARSADDA: At least five people were arrested for displaying arms during the bye-election in Charsadda’s NA 24 on Sunday as such acts and pillion riding were banned by the administration.

The police said that the held people belonged to different political parties.

At least four candidates were contesting a bye-election in Charsadda’s NA 24, however, a strong contest was expected between PTI chief Imran Khan and PDM’s Aimal Wali. The other two candidates were Jamaat-e-Islami’s Mujeebur Rehman and independent candidate Superlay Mohmand.

The ECP handed over election materials to relevant staff and finalised arrangements on three vacant NA seats from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday.

The election materials were handed over to staff members concerned for NA-31 at Nishter Hall Peshawar and also dispatched to district returning officers of Charsadda and Mardan.

The provincial election commissioner of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muhammad Farid Khattak, visited the material distribution places and issued instructions to district returning officers and returning officers for fair and transparent elections.

He urged all the voters, particularly women to exercise their right to vote by visiting polling stations without any fear or threat to perform their national duty.

The constituencies wherein the by-election is scheduled include NA-22 Mardan, NA-24 Charsadda and NA-31 Peshawar-V. The total number of voters in these constituencies was over 1,450,000, out of which the number of men is over 850,000 while 642,000 are women.

A total of 16 candidates are contesting from these constituencies, four each from NA-22 Mardan and NA-24 Charsadda, while eight candidates are contesting from NA-31, Peshawar-V respectively.

Khattak said that as many as 979 polling stations have been established in all three NA constituencies including 429 polling stations for men and 351 for women, while 199 polling stations are for both men and women.

Out of the 979 polling stations 745 have been declared as highly sensitive and 234 as sensitive. Strict security measures have been ensured.

KARACHI: At least three incidents of “professional incompetence” were found in a single polling station of Karachi’s NA-239 constituency during the bye-election on Sunday, prompting the Election Commission of Pakistan staff members to review its set up.

The polling process for bye-elections in 11 constituencies in Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa started at 8am today. The bye-elections are being held for three seats each of the national and provincial assembly in Faisalabad, Nankana Sahib and Multan in Punjab; three NA seats in Charsadda, Peshawar and Mardan in KP; and two NA seats in Sindh’s Korangi and Malir.

Though the polling process has so far been going smoothly in the country Aaj News found “serious mistakes” at a polling station set up at a school in Karachi’s NA-239 constituency, Shah Faisal Colony area.

Firstly, it was seen that the staff members of the ECP had placed the polling booth near the CCTV camera, installed for security purposes, in a class. Voters had been casting their votes without taking note of the place of the booth.

The staff members later changed the position of the booth after they were informed about the mistake.

The CCTV camera was also not installed at polling booth number four of station number 76 which was declared “sensitive”. It was a women’s polling booth.

Moreover, a woman complained that she could not find her polling booth as the instructions were not clear. She told Aaj News that the series number and polling station number she received via message were not registered at the polling station. Someone’s else photograph and number were present in her place, she said.

https://www.aajenglish.tv/live/bye-election-2-22

The polling for bye-elections ended and the vote count is underway in 11 constituencies – eight of the National Assembly and three of the Punjab Assembly – on Sunday, with PTI chief Imran Khan contesting in seven of them.

The polling started at 8am and continued till 5pm without any interruption.

The bye-polls are being held in three provinces – Punjab, where three seats of national and three of the provincial assembly are vacant; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where it is being held for three NA seats, and Sindh, where candidates are competing for two NA seats.

Eight NA constituencies:

• Mardan
• Charsadda
• Peshawar
• Faisalabad
• Nankana Sahib
• Malir
• Korangi
• Karachi
• Multan

Three Punjab Assembly constituencies:

• Sheikhupura
• Bahawalnagar
• Khanewal

A total of 101 candidates from different political parties and independents are taking part in the vote: 52 in Punjab, 33 in Sindh and 16 in KP.

In Punjab, 1,434 polling stations are established, 979 in KP and 340 in Karachi.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan is trying his luck in seven seats out of eight NA constituencies.

The polling staff, polling material, ballot papers, and polling bags were delivered to their respective polling stations on Saturday with complete security.

Read: Campaign for by-elections on 11 NA, PA seats ends

All presiding officers would arrive at their polling stations and set up polling booths by Saturday evening, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

The officers concerned in Karachi, Lahore, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad were monitoring the process of delivery of polling materials from the control room.

Separate special control rooms have been established at central and provincial levels to promptly resolve election related complaints in the conduct of impartial elections.

Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja wrote a letter on Saturday to Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh chief secretaries, and inspector generals of police to provide comprehensive security to polling staff, candidates, and political parties.

Complaints registration

“Complaints can be registered in central control room Islamabad at 051-9210837 and 051-9204402; 051-9210838. Complaints can also be communicated through fax number 051-9204404 and email; [email protected],” the APP reported

The provincial control room, Lahore could be contacted at landline telephone 042-99212620; 042-99212209 and email [email protected]

The Sindh control room could be contacted at 021-99205338; Mobile no 0334-3895812;0331-3584450 and 0300-9374192; email [email protected]

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa control room, Peshawar contact no is 091-9222475;091-9211034; email [email protected].

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan is a candidate for seven of eight national assembly seats up for grabs in a key by-election Sunday (today), a vote he says is “a referendum” on his popularity.

The by-election is the latest twist in political wrangling that began after Imran’s April 10 ouster via a parliamentary no-confidence vote.

It comes as the nation grapples with the aftermath of devastating monsoon floods that affected more than 30 million people and left a third of the country under water.

Candidates can stand for multiple seats in Pakistan elections. If they win more than one they choose which to keep, and a separate vote must later be held for those forfeited.

It is rare, however, for a candidate to stand for as many seats as Imran is doing Sunday, and his disruptive move is clearly to gauge his popularity.

“This is not just a simple election, it’s a referendum,” he told a rally late Friday in Karachi, the bustling port city in the south of the nation of 220 million.

Imran has held dozens of rallies since being ousted – drawing crowds of tens of thousands – and has vowed soon to announce the date of a “long march” of his supporters on the capital, Islamabad.

He is demanding the coalition government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif calls an immediate general election rather than wait until October next year.

“If he wins most of the seats, he will press the government more,” political analyst Hassan Askari Rizvi told AFP.

“But the government will reject the election call, claiming it doesn’t reflect the national will.”

Khan has already scored a string of recent by-election victories, with his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party seizing control in July of the state assembly in Punjab, the country’s most populous province.

Emerged unscathed

He has, so far, also emerged largely unscathed from a series of court cases against him and his party.

Pakistan’s courts are often used to tie up lawmakers in tedious and long-winding proceedings that rights monitors have criticised for stifling political opposition.

Imran blames the current government for soaring inflation, although most analysts agree Sharif inherited the country’s economic woes.

Catastrophic flooding this summer put one-third of Pakistan under water, displaced eight million people, and caused at least an estimated $28 billion in damage.

The United Nations has warned of a “second wave” of catastrophe, with the risk that deaths from water-borne disease and malnutrition will outstrip the 1,700 drowned and electrocuted in the initial cascade.

Imran rode to power in 2018 on a populist platform promising social reforms, religious conservatism and fighting corruption, overturning decades of rule by two feuding political dynasties interspersed with military takeovers.

But, under his tenure, the economy stagnated and he lost the support of the army, which was accused of helping to get him elected.

Sunday’s polls take place in eight constituencies of three provinces – three each in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where Khan’s party holds sway, and two in Sindh.

“This is indeed a litmus test of his popularity provided elections are held in a free and fair atmosphere and they are not rigged,” said Imtiaz Gul of the Center for Research and Security Studies in Islamabad.

“If he wins the majority of the seats, that will again be a testimony to the success of his narrative that he has built since his exit from power and that will obviously bring more pressure on the government,” he added.

Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan termed on Friday the by-elections as a ‘referendum’ and claimed that PTI would get into power in the centre and Sindh as well.

“People in Sindh are looking for a change. I have come to make people and the LB election candidates prepare for the Azadi March,” the PTI chief said addressing a corner meeting in Karachi ahead of Sunday’s by-polls which he is contesting.

“Zardari mafia is looting the wealth of Karachi and investing it abroad, especially in Dubai. That is why Dubai is flourishing,” he said, calling Asif Ali Zardari bad luck for the people of Sindh.

Imran claimed that no one could dare to stop the PTI revolution. “We must take a stand against thieves; as people are waiting for change,” he said.

He also pledged to make Karachi a crime-free city after winning the next general election.

Later, he took oaths from the participants of the meeting for joining the PTI freedom march.

The PTI chief has been holding public gatherings across the country to gather public support for another march towards Islamabad, which according to him, will dismantle the government.

Addressing one such gathering at the Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Imran said that he would continue his fight against the “corrupt mafia” despite being booked in new FIRs [first information reports] daily “for not bowing down”.

“I’m ready to sacrifice my life for the people, going to jail is not a big deal,” Imran Khan said, adding that he would soon give a call for the long march and asked the people and the students to get ready.

“I will soon give the call [for the long march] and will lead from the front,” he vowed. “Chains do not fall themselves, they have to be broken. Freedom is not given but it is snatched,” Imran Khan further stated.

He maintained that the corrupt mafia looted the country’s resources for the last 30 years and it has been again given ‘freehand’.

He accused the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government of making legislation aimed at providing relief in corruption cases against them.

“Cowards do not become leaders, but they become Nawaz Sharif,” he said, adding that Nawaz Sharif used to go abroad at every difficult time.

“Every day their cases are ending while people are drowning in the high inflation,” he said, adding that the country’s economy is on the verge of collapse.

Referring to the appointment of Kamran Tessori as governor of Sindh, Imran Khan alleged that one has to be a ‘criminal’ to get a higher position in the country.

He further criticised the government policies and the rulers in their trips to the United States for “begging”. “They don’t have any shame, rather they are humiliating the entire nation,” Imran Khan added.

Imran Khan also asked the students to consider the struggle for “real freedom” as “jihad” and not as politics, adding that raising their voice against injustice is “jihad”.

Politicians made a final attempt to lure voters, as the election campaign for by-elections on 11 seats – including eight of National and three of Punjab assemblies – ended Friday night.

Former prime minister Imran Khan, who would be contesting elections from seven constituencies, landed in Karachi and addressed a public rally in Shah Faisal Colony. He termed the by-election a do or die fight and ’jihad.

The PTI chief is contesting 7 out of 8 NA seats up for grabs. He was supposed to fight the election on nine seats, however, it was reduced to seven when Abdul Shakoor took back his resignation and the Election Commission of Pakistan delayed the election on one of the constituencies.

The by-elections scheduled for October 16 would be followed by the local government elections in Karachi on October 23, rising the political atmosphere in the economic hub of the country.

Below were the details of the National and Punjab assemblies’ constituencies where by-elections are held:

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Mardan

Four candidates would be contesting the election from NA 22.

• PTI Chairman Imran Khan
• Pakistan Democratic Movement’s Maulana Qasim
• Jamaat-e-Islami’s Abdul Wasay
• Independent candidate Muhammad Sarwar

This seat fell vacant after the resignation of PTI’s Ali Muhammad Khan, who gave a fiery speech when Imran Khan was ousted through a vote of confidence in April.

Charsadda

NA 24 has also four candidates.

• PTI Chairman Imran Khan
• PDM’s Aimal Wali
• JI’s Mujeebur Rehman
• Independent candidate Superly Mohmand

This seat fell vacant after the resignation of PTI’s Fazal Muhammad.

Peshawar

There were seven politicians fighting for the NA 31 seat. But below five were the most important:

• PTI chief Imran Khan
• JI leader Muhammad Aslam
• Rah-e-Haq Party leader Saeed Ullah
• Tehreek-e-Jawanaan’s Abdul Qadir
• Independent candidate Shaukat Ali

Punjab

Faisalabad

There were 10 leaders up for the NA 108 constituency, out of which four were the leading ones.

• PTI chief Imran Khan
• PDM’s Abid Sher
• Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s Mohammad Siddique
• Pakistan Nazirati Party leader Khurram Shehzad

The seat fell vacant after the resignation of Farrukh Habib.

Nankana Sahib

Three candidates were fighting in NA 118 constituency.

• PTI chief Imran Khan
• PDM leader Shezra Mansab Ali
• TLP leader Pir Afzal Hussain Shah

The seat fell vacant after PTI leader Aijaz Shah’s resignation.

Multan

Former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s daughter Meherbano was among the eight candidates contesting the election in NA 157, out of which five were important.

• PTI leader Meherbano Qureshi
• PDM’s Ali Musa Gilani
• TLP leader Tahir Ahmed
• Independent candidate Salman Elahi
• Independent candidate Babar Dogar

The seat fell vacant after the resignation of Zain Qureshi, who stepped down to enter the Punjab Assembly.

Because the issue of resignation here was given in protest of other members of the PTI assembly, it was different from resignations, so Imran was not a candidate from this constituency.

Sindh

Malir Karachi

Four out of the 11 candidates contesting elections in NA 237 were:

• PTI leader Imran Khan
• Pakistan Peoples Party Abdul Hakeem Baloch
• TLP leader Samiullah
• Pak Sarzameen Party’s Amir Shekhani

The seat fell vacant after the resignation of PTI leader Jameel Muhammad.

Korangi Karachi

Below were a few of the names out of the 22 candidates up for election in NA 239.

• PTI leader Imran Khan
• Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Nayyar Ali
• Muhajir Qaumi Movement leader Khurram Mansoor
• PPP’s Imran Haider

The seat fell vacant after the resignation of PTI leader Akram Cheema.

Punjab Assembly

Sharaqpur PP 139. A strong fight was expected between the below three candidates out of the total nine.

• PML-N leader Haji Iftikhar
• PTI leader Abu Bakar Sharaqpuri
• TLP’s Dr Rauf Gujjar

The seat fell vacant after the resignation of PML-N leader Jaleel Sharaqpuri. A five-MPA group led by Jaleel in Punjab Assembly remained cut off from its party, PML-N, and supported the PTI.

Khanewal PP 209. A strong contest was expected between the below two candidates out of the total eight.

• PTI leader Faisal Niazi
• PML-N leader Ziaur Rehman

The seat fell vacant after the resignation of erstwhile PML-N leader Faisal Niazi. He had also joined the “rebel MPAs”.

Chishtian PP 241. Four out of the seven candidates were the top most in the constituency.

• PTI’s Malik Muhammad Muzaffar
• PML-N leader Amanullah Sattar
• Jamaat-e-Islami Tahir Muhammad Yousuf
• Pakistan Tehreek Party leader Ghulam Qadir

The seat fell vacant after the resignation of PML-N leader Kashif Mehmood.