PML-N emerges victorious in battle for PP-160

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Saiful Malook Khokhar was declared victorious during the by-elections at PP-160 in Lahore. The constituency turned into a battle field when supporters of PML-N and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) scuffled with each other on Thursday.

Malook secured 27,145 votes while PTI’s Zaheer Abbas Khokhar got 16,438 votes while Jamaat-i-Islami’s candidate Jhangir Hussian Bara got 12,673 votes.

Zaheer alleged that there had been massive rigging in the constituency and that the police refuse to take any action against it. Two government employees had also been caught red handed working as polling agents for PML-N candidate Saif-ul-Maluk Khokhar during the by-polls on Thursday.

PTI’s workers staged a protest in Shadiwal polling station alleging that PML-N had rigged the elections. They also burnt the posters and pamphlets of Saif ul Malook.

The police took action against Zaheer’s supporters for protesting against the alleged rigging.

The provincial constituency became vacant after the resignation of Rana Mubasher Iqbal, who won in 2008 by securing 42,056 votes. There are 187,842 votes in the constituency. The turnover in 2008 was 41 per cent. In these by-elections however, the turnover is estimated to be 29 per cent.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 25^th, 2010.