News
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Nawaz returns to power* PML-N ‘clean sweeps’ in Punjab; all set to form govt in Centre
* PTI frontrunner in KP; ANP wiped out
* PPP reduced to Sindh
By Tanveer Ahmed
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Saturday emerged as the leading political party in the general election, with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s ‘tsunami’ heading towards the second largest gainer, along with the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP), the former ruling party in the Centre.
The electoral gains of mainstream political parties – the PML-N, the PTI and the PPPP – varied from province to province, as the former overwhelmed the rivals in Punjab and the PTI dominated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and some areas of Punjab. The PPPP dominated the rural parts of Sindh by retaining a majority of its seats in the province.
The ANP, the former ruling party of KP, remained the big loser, as it appeared to lose its grip completely on the province at the hands of the PTI. The MQM’s lead on most of the seats in urban parts of Sindh that it secured in the last general election. According to preliminary results of the general election, the PML-N kept its grip on its stronghold in Punjab by dominating a majority of seats, except a few upsets in Rawalpindi, where it faced defeat at the hands of PTI and Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed of the Awami Muslim League.
The PTI, making a dent in the stronghold of the PML-N and grabbing some seats in the province, secured big electoral gains in KP where it uprooted the Awami National Party and the PPPP, especially in Peshawar and Swat.
The polls results indicate the PML-N leading with more than 110 seats against its political rivals, particularly in Punjab, whereas the PTI seems to have secured around 40 seats, particularly in KP, Rawalpindi division and Islamabad.
The PPPP appears dominating its stronghold Sindh where it is retaining a majority of its seats. In Balochistan, the National Party (NP) was going ahead, with the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party – led by Mahmood Khan Achakzai – and the JUI-F overtaking their rivals in the Pashtun belt of the province.
PTI’s Chairman Imran Khan was heading towards a big electoral victory in an individual capacity, as the poll results suggested that he had won the NA-1 Peshawar seat. Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif and Hamza Shahbaz Sharif secured their seats, whereas Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan was comfortably leading in one of the constituencies.
PPPP bigwigs in Punjab – former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Manzoor Wattoo, Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar and Arbab Alamgir – lost the seats to their rivals.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk