The Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) has claimed victory in the NA-168 (Bahawalpur-V) by-election after its candidate Malik Munir Iqbal Channar secured a sizable lead over independent contender Wali Dad Cheema in unofficial results.
Channar had polled 62,713 votes against Cheema’s 31,293, according to unofficial results from most of the constituency’s 292 polling stations, giving him a lead of 31,420 votes.
The seat fell vacant following the death of MNA Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar, with the PML-N fielding his son to contest the by-election.
Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Channar and his brother Malik Zaheer Iqbal Channar, the incumbent deputy speaker of the Punjab Assembly, after the result.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said Shehbaz praised the people of Bahawalpur for electing their representative and described the result as a sign of public confidence in the PML-N.
The polling process was largely peaceful, although isolated incidents of violence, administrative problems and complaints were reported at some stations.
The provincial election commissioner said voting was briefly disrupted at a polling station in Akhtarabad after a scuffle broke out between voters following allegations that political workers had harassed election staff.
The district returning officer and returning officer intervened with police assistance and brought the situation under control, allowing the polling process to resume.
Channar separately alleged that some individuals had been caught stamping ballot papers in favour of Cheema.
He claimed they were removed following the confrontation and that polling had remained suspended for several hours.
The unofficial tally placed Channar at nearly twice Cheema’s vote count, putting the PML-N candidate in a strong position to retain the National Assembly seat.
