Merely hours after the Returning Officer announced official results for the NA-122 by-elections in Lahore, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Monday said that his party was investigating “the number of PTI votes thrown out of NA-122 at the last minute.”
“We are investigating the number of PTI votes thrown out of NA122 at the last minute & will then approach the ECP,” said the PTI chairman in a message posted on social media website Twitter.
Former National Assembly Speaker and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Ayaz Sadiq regained the NA-122 seat by a thin margin, bagging 74,525 votes against 72,082 votes received by PTI candidate Aleem Khan.
Although the PTI accepted the by-poll results, it blamed the ruling PML-N of pre-poll rigging by using state machinery for their campaign, and complained that several voters’ names who had been previously registered in NA-122 had now been moved to other constituencies.
Imran said the PTI will investigate the missing votes and approach the Election Commission of Pakistan.
The PTI chairman claimed that, despite the NA-122 loss, it was a ‘moral victory’ for the party because it successfully challenged the ruling PML-N with its government power and influence provincial Election Commission.
This election will strengthen PTI, he said.
Imran also congratulated PTI candidates Aleem Khan and Shoaib Siddiqui, who returned successful in the by-election for the Punjab Assembly’s PP-147 seat.
