Page 11 - Pakistan Link - October 19, 2018

PAKISTAN OCTOBER 19, 2018 – PAKISTAN LINK – P11
PTI, PML-N Take 4 NA Seats Each, Imran Blames Lack of Contact

PML-Q Takes 2 in Sunday By-poll with Public for By-Poll Setback

National Assembly by bagging four
NA seats but also made gains in the
Punjab Assembly by securing five
seats.
The PML-N had vacated only
one of the 11 NA seats up for grabs in
the by-election, whereas PTI had va-
cated six and the PML-Q vacated two.
Elections on two NA seats – NA-103
and NA-60 – were postponed.
PM Imran directed the PTI lead-
ers to be in constant contact with the
people through the media in order to
propagate the party’s narrative.
He directed the party’s spokes-
person to present the narrative on the
Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran media in an effective manner. He also
Khan on Monday said he was cogni- asked the federal ministers to ensure
zant of a possible defeat on October that briefing to the leaders is delivered
14, blaming lack of public contact in an understandable way. All minis-
for the by-poll results. tries, he added, should update their
The premier chaired a meeting respective websites with information
of ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf of development work being carried
The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) may have clinched the most seats in by-elections but it suffered a setback in two of (PTI) in Islamabad to review the per- out in their constituencies.
the four seats vacated by its party chief Imran Khan formance of the party’s candidates in Terming the October 14 by-
the elections, besides other pressing elections as the ‘most transparent’, the
Islamabad: Polling was carried the largest political party of the polling stations today where pre- issues. premier claimed that the by-polls had
out without any interruption on country in the by-election”. siding officers were not in charge. “Our engagement in the affairs been carried out without any govern-
Sunday in bye-elections for 35 con- Following unofficial confir- Do you understand what I am say- of the government created a gap with ment interference for the very first
stituencies of national and provin- mation of his victory from Lahore’s ing? Answer me this,” he demand- the public contact, and the opposi- time in the country’s history. Neither
cial assemblies across the country. NA-124 constituency, former ed. tion took advantage of this,” he was the federal nor the provincial govern-
Barring a clash between PTI premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi “Presiding officers had no au- quoted as saying by the sources. “PTI ments interfered in the conduct of the
and PML-N workers outside addressed his supporters and ex- thority whatsoever. This is what we leaders, known for mobilizing masses, polls, he maintained.
the Shamsabad Police Station in were engaged in ministerial affairs,” he Premier Khan also met Chief
Rawalpindi and sporadic scuffles added. Minister Balochistan Jam Kamal
elsewhere, the day largely remained On Sunday, Pakistan Muslim Khan at the PM Office and discussed
peaceful. League-Nawaz (PML-N) managed to the overall situation and development
With results from more than not only improve its position in the projects in the province.
96 per cent polling stations of the
11 constituencies of National As- Nawaz Lauds Party Workers
sembly available with the Election
Commission of Pakistan (ECP), for Marginal Gains
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Paki-
stan Muslim League-Nawaz were Islamabad: Former prime minister
ahead with four seats each. The Nawaz Sharif on Monday lauded
PML-Q retained two seats vacated support of the Pakistan Muslim
by its leaders while Muttahida Ma- League-Nawaz (PML-N) party
jlis-i-Amal snatched back the NA- workers and termed the by-polls re-
35 Bannu seat previously won by sults an indication of what lies ahead
Prime Minister Imran Khan. as his party managed marginal gains
Consolidated, the coalition against the ruling party.
government gained six seats in the Speaking to media represen-
by-poll to the opposition’s five. The tatives outside the accountability
break-up in the National Assembly court hearing corruption references
is now 182 coalition seats to the against members of the Sharif fam-
opposition’s 159. The by-election ily, Nawaz thanked God for the sup-
for the one remaining seat — Kara- port of the people who made the
chi’s NA-247, vacated by President party’s victory possible.
Arif Alvi — is to be held next Sun- pressed reservations over the con- call rigging. This is what we call the “It was the first time in Paki-
day (October 21). duct of elections. negation of public opinion. This is stan’s history that such an election “There were no price hikes dur-
Information Minister Fawad “I ask the Chief Election Com- what we call disrespecting the peo- result has been witnessed just 50 ing our era. The prices of common
Chaudhry was quick to claim that missioner this: who is in charge at a ple’s mandate. These are the things days after the formation of a new commodities were suitable and the
PTI had “once again emerged as polling station? I visited around 40 BYPOLLS, P28 government,” he said. “I have been poor people were not worried,” he
to jail, Shehbaz is in jail, and every-
stated.
Fatima Bhutto Flays Imran’s ‘Opportunistic’ Politics one knows of the treatment meted talk outside court, the former pre-
Before concluding his media
out to Saad Rafique, but PML-N still
managed to win seats.” mier reminded the people that the
Karachi: Fatima Bhutto – former what I write is very political,” she Criticizing the incumbent gov- by-polls results indicate a political
premier Benazir Bhutto’s niece – has said. ernment’s economic policies, Nawaz trend in the country.
strongly criticized the politics of “He’s a young man. He has said that his government maintained “God will change the current
Prime Minister Imran Khan term- been through a lot of trauma and the dollar rate for four years and did situation. We all should pray for the
ing it opportunistic and against violence. I hope he will be well and not let it exceed Rs104. betterment of the country.”
women empowerment. I wish him only well as a person. I
“My criticism of Imran Khan’s prefer not to really comment on the Overseas Pakistanis’ Votes to Be Included
politics has been that I don’t see any politics of it all,” Fatima remarked
conversation with women in his when asked to comment about poli- Islamabad: The Election Commis- seas Pakistanis, 6,233 polled their
politics. I don’t see a conversation tics of her cousin Bilawal. sion of Pakistan (ECP) has decided votes through the i-voting software
that empowers the provinces. I see The young writer said she was to include the votes cast by overseas in Sunday’s by-polls.
a lot of opportunism in it,” she said averse to social media. Pakistanis in the by-poll results after The ECP had allowed overseas
in an interview to NDTV earlier this “Twitter has become so a meeting with National Database Pakistanis to vote in the by-polls on
week. murky… It has become a platform and Registration Authority authori- an experimental basis on the direc-
“We have a lot of cases of a lot for a lot of aggression and a lot of ties on Monday. tives of the Supreme Court.
of fear and intimidation and unfor- from politics, preferring writing in- hate. Instagram I mean I don’t re- ECP Spokesman Nadeem Qa- Though the ECP has not re-
tunately I don’t really see that this stead. Her fifth book, a novel called ally understand what its redeeming sim said that the details of all the leased a statement about the turn-
government is taking any steps to “The Runaways” is likely to hit the qualities are because it is basically votes cast through the internet have out in the by-polls — that were held
reverse that. If anything its further- shelves later this month. just people competing with each been sent to the relevant returning on 24 provincial assembly seats and
ing that,” said the daughter of Bena- “I was encouraged from a other and you know this terrible officers (ROs). 11 National Assembly constituen-
zir’s slain brother Murtaza Bhutto. young age by my father to write and narcissistic one-upmanship. Face- “The ROs will add these results cies — an official said the estimated
Fatima, unlike her cousin Bila- to read a lot. I don’t think it is a di- book – I want nothing to do with it to their final tallies,” Qasim added. turnout was between 35 and 40 per
wal Bhutto Zardari, has stayed away vorce from politics, I think a lot of ever.” Out of 7,364 registered over- cent.
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