Political reactions intensified on Monday as unofficial results of Sunday’s by-elections began to surface across the country.
PML-N leader Senator Talal Chaudhry said that voters had “taught a lesson” to those who called for a boycott, adding that the PTI’s “double standards” toward Punjab’s electorate were inexplicable.
He said the party would respond to any action taken by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in accordance with the Constitution.
In contrast, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan described the turnout as the lowest in Punjab’s history, saying it reflected public distrust in the electoral process.
Speaking to a private TV channel, he said ensuring free and fair elections was the ECP’s responsibility.
Gohar argued that PTI boycotted the Punjab by-elections because it was not allowed to hold rallies or run its campaign there, although a level playing field existed in Haripur.
He also cast doubt on NA-18 Haripur’s unofficial results, claiming they did not reflect the ground reality.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said voter participation in Punjab signalled public confidence in the government, calling the turnout “very good”.
He added that PTI’s decision to boycott most constituencies had cost it politically, noting that “boycotts have no place in politics”.
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari, responding to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohaib Afridi’s criticism, said Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had not inaugurated any development project in areas where by-elections were underway.
She accused Afridi of levelling allegations to deflect attention from an ECP notice, adding that he “lies like his leader” and had travelled to Haripur to campaign for candidate Shehar Naz, while Maryam Nawaz had stayed away from all PML-N campaigns.
According to unofficial results, PML-N won all six National Assembly seats contested in the by-elections and secured six of the seven provincial assembly seats.
The PPP won one provincial seat, while PTI failed to reclaim any of the constituencies that fell vacant after its lawmakers were disqualified over the May 9 riots cases.
