Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has emerged victorious in the Swat by-election as its candidate Fazal Maula won the the PK-7 constituency, defeating Awami National Party (ANP)’s Hussain Ahmed.
The seat had fallen vacant after the death of ANP MPA Waqar Ahmed Khan, who was the nephew of Hussain Ahmed. According to unofficial results, Maula secured 18,042 votes and Ahmad 14,665 votes, according to unofficial results.
Ahmed was supported by the joint opposition alliance, who had decided not to contest the election out of respect for the late Waqar Ahmed Khan, who had done a lot of important work and made a lot of sacrifices during the insurgency period in 2007-09.
The four candidates in the running were Haji Fazal Maula of the PTI, Hussain Ahmad Khan of ANP, Daulat Khan of the Tehreek-i-Inqilab Political Movement and independent Mohammad Ali Shah.
Polling began at 8 AM and continued smoothly till 5 PM without a break as no untoward incident was reported anywhere in the constituency.
However, after the defeat on Sunday, ANP workers staged a sit-in at Kabul Chowk, claiming the elections had been rigged. They chanted slogans against the KP government and the Returning Officer.
They claimed that the ANP workers had not been given the Form-45 at some of the polling stations and said that the results were completely different from the Form-45 given to polling agents.
“Why the election commission remained silent on the use of government machinery and release of funds overnight,” ANP leader Aimal Wali Khan asked while announcing to challenge the election result.
