Pakistan: Maryam lauds Daska by-election win as 'giving respect to vote'

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz on Sunday took to Twitter and congratulated the people of Daska for upholding the narrative of "giving respect to vote", following the win of her party candidate in the hotly-contested NA-75 Daska by-elections, as per unofficial results, reported Geo News.

"Well done, Daska! Congratulations to the zealous and brave people of [the constituency], Maryam Nawaz enthused.

"Once again, you have won the battle surrounding the "give respect the vote" narrative."

She further said that the people of Daska have shown to the world how "an attempt was made to rob the honour of the vote on February 19 under the supervision of the puppet Prime Minister [Imran Khan]."

In an upset for Imran Khan's ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, its candidate Ali Asjad Malhi lost the hotly-contested NA-75 seat to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Nosheen Iftikhar on Saturday.

According to provisional and unofficial results from all 360 polling stations, announced after midnight, at around 12:30 am on Sunday, Iftikhar managed to secure 110,075 votes, whereas Malhi received 93,433.

The final tally means the PML-N won by a margin of 16,642 votes, reported Geo News.

PML-N's winning vote percentage has remained between 40 per cent to 58 per cent in the last two elections.

The ruling PTI obtained 26 per cent and 24 per cent of the votes in the last two elections.

The by-election in the Sialkot constituency had gained national importance after a by-poll in the same constituency on February 19 this year was declared void by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) due to multiple incidents of violence and serious irregularities.

Following the controversy, the ECP had ordered re-election in NA-75. The PTI candidate had, however, challenged the ECP order in the Supreme Court, but the petition was dismissed on April 2 and the apex court ordered that the poll be held on April 10 as per schedule.

( With inputs from ANI )