HARIPUR: PML-N candidate Babar Nawaz Khan was successful in his election bid as he defeated the PTI-backed independent candidate Sheharnaz Omar Ayub with a large margin in the NA-18 Haripur by-election, on Sunday.
According to the unofficial results, Babar Nawaz secured 163,996 votes while Sheharnaz Omar Ayub got 120,220 votes which means that Babar Nawaz was ahead by 43,776 votes. The by-poll was a very close battle that could have gone either way, as both the city and the village of Haripur were voting under strict security cover.
All polling stations’ vote counts were going to be recorded in the Result Management System (RMS) for confirmation, and the last word would belong to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). Therefore, the PML-N has strengthened its hold on the area while the candidate supported by PTI could not convert the fan base into votes.
Chief Election Commissioner says by-elections peaceful, low turnout expected
Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja expressed his satisfaction that the by-elections were held peacefully, in a statement on Sunday. He said that low voter turnout is a feature of such elections and can be explained by various factors.
When talking to the press at the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in Islamabad, he acknowledged the good work done by the provincial governments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to facilitate the polling process.
The Chief Election Commissioner further said that by-elections did not hold such major fights that could change the political scenario, thus lessening the interest of people and their turnout.
Checking on complaints, the Chief Election Commissioner said that reports from District Returning Officers (DROs) have been received and some issues have been taken suo motu by the commission. Besides that, it was informed that no extraordinary complaints were reported during the by-election period. In addition, it was mentioned that a summons has been served to PTI leader Talal Chaudhry for his hearing today.
Sikandar Sultan Raja cited the example of local government elections where code of conduct breaches had been the cause of the disqualification of a minister and a candidate, thus stressing that all moves follow a legal framework. Besides that, he made a point that election violations are common all over the world, and as a result, the ECP sends recommendations to the government from time to time. Moreover, he explained that the commission is not authorized to give directions to tribunals.
