Establishment gained respect after free and fair Punjab by-elections: Sheikh Rasheed

RAWALPINDI: Former interior minister and Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad on Monday said that the establishment gained respect due to yesterday’s free, fair and transparent by-elections in Punjab.

Referring to the “landslide victory” of PTI in the hotly-contested Punjab by-polls, Sheikh Rasheed said that it was a “laboratory test” and the nation gave its verdict in favour of Imran Khan.

“It is proved today that Imran Khan’s narrative has reached every home,” he said and demanded of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif to dissolve the assemblies in the current week.

Taking a jab at the prime minister, the former interior minister said, “Shahbaz Sharif has become the PM of just Capital Development Authority (CDA).”

He maintained that the PTI could have won the fourth seat in Lahore if it had taken a better decision — the PTI secured victory in 3 out of 4 Lahore seats up for grabs in Sunday's by-elections.

Criticising the PPP, Rasheed said that Asif Ali Zardari’s eyes are on the presidency, adding that he wanted to get his son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, elected as prime minister.

He reiterated that early elections are in the best interest of the country. The former minister said that Imran Khan will not take any decision that is against the country.

PTI wins 15 of 20 constituencies 

According to the unofficial final count from Sunday's polls, the PTI won 15 seats, while the PML-N managed to clinch victory in only four, and an independent candidate grabbed one.

The PML-N was gracious in defeat, with party vice president Maryam Nawaz saying the party should accept the results "wholeheartedly" and "bow before the people's choice".

Latest party position in Punjab Assembly

The landslide victory of PTI in Punjab by-polls has completely changed the numbers game in the Punjab Assembly and Chaudhry Pervez Elahi is most likely to replace Hamza Shehbaz Sharif as the new chief minister of the province in coming days.

Almost all the turncoats who joined the PML-N and voted for Hamza Shehbaz Sharif lost to the PTI candidates.

 Already, before the by-polls, PTI and PML-Q had jointly attained the strength of 173 (163 of PTI and 10 of PML-Q).

Now, with 15 additional seats, this strength has reached 188 whereas the figure for the simple majority stands at 186. This means the PTI and PML-Q have crossed that landmark.