The 2022 by-elections held on Sunday resulted in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan winning six of the seven seats he was contesting from, while also defeating rival party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in Punjab —who only won two seats. However, countering PTI’s victory, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won two crucial National Assembly seats in constituencies that had gone to the PTI in the 2018 general elections.
In total, there were 11 vacant seats —eight for the National Assembly and three for the provincial— out of which the PTI won two provincial and six federal seats. PPP bagged two while PML-N only got 1 provincial seat. Here’s a detailed breakdown of who won and where.
NA 239 Karachi Korangi 1
Candidates: Imran Khan (PTI) vs Syed Nayyar Raza (MQM)
Winner: Imran Khan
NA 237 Karachi Malir 2
Candidates: Imran Khan (PTI) vs Abdul Hakeem Baloch (PPP)
Winner: Abdul Hakeen Baloch
NA 108 Faisalabad 8
Candidates: Imran Khan (PTI) vs Abid Sher Ali (PML-N)
Winner: Imran Khan
NA 118 Nankana Sahib 2
Candidates: Imran Khan (PTI) vs Shezra Mansab Ali (PML-N)
Winner: Imran Khan
NA 157 Multan 4
Candidates: Syed Ali Moosa Gilani (PPP) vs Mehar Bano Qureshi (PTI)
Winner: Syed Ali Moosa Gilani
NA 24 Charsadda 2
Candidates: Imran Khan (PTI) vs Aimal Wali Khan (ANP)
Winner: Imran Khan
NA 31 Peshawar 5
Candidates: Imran Khan (PTI) vs Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour (ANP)
Winner: Imran Khan
NA22 – NA 22 Mardan 3
Candidates: Imran Khan (PTI) vs Muhammad Qasim (JUI-F)
Winner: Imran Khan
PP 209 Khanewal 7
Candidates: Muhammad Faisal Khan Niazi (PTI) vs Chaudhry Zia Ur Rehman (PML-N)
Winner: Muhammad Faisal Khan Niazi
PP 139 Sheikhupura 5
Candidates: Chaudhry Iftikhar Ahmed Bhangoo (PML-N) vs Muhammad Abu Bakar (PTI)
Winner: Chaudhry Iftikhar Ahmed Bhangoo
PP 241 Bahawalnagar 5
Candidates: Aman Ullah Sattar (PML-N) vs Malik Muhammad Muzaffar Khan (PTI)
Winner: Malik Muhammad Muzaffar Khan
Imran Khan has received public support and mandate but with power comes responsibility. He ought to ditch fascist rhetoric and respect democratic norms that come with gaining democratic power. He needs to reach across to other political forces to develop a consensus as to take up the military’s challenge of becoming “neutral” that may be military’s aspiration but hard to achieve without all politicians behaving as democrats.
If masses are split into democrats and fascists then Junta ought to exercise power. When Junta expressively wishes to put an end to its political engineering the politicians due to divisions wanting to drag it back to support their respective agendas is comical. It’s like Urdu joke “فوج تو کمبل کو چھوڑتی ہے مگر کمبل فوج کو نہیں چھوڑتا”
Now Imran does not need military support any longer as he has popular support and PDM stance has always been “ووٹ کو عزت دو” Hence Imran needs to align his “حقیقی آزادی” narrative with the other political forces and develop consensus to provide space for military to resume a non interference strategy for our nation’s sake.
This has exposed Imran Khan and PTI weakness by not winning 11 seats. With reduced majorities it is clear there is a downward slide for the party.
Let’s not forget that after six months of intense campaigning and almost nothing from his opponents and under present economic conditions PTI now have nothing left in its box of tricks.
Now the contest was between one party versus 13 parties in spite of that PTI clinched majority in the by election. PTI has emerged as the largest political party of the country. PPP, N league, JUI never defeats individually PTI in any contest so bear in mind absolutely. Though this has absolutely exposed the PDM worst political condition that has totally failed to deliver the relief to the nation except getting NRO for itself.
PTI was contested on its own seats and won all but one, but it also highlights that PTI does not have any winning candidates and relied on one man only. If after being in the government and huge public support since no confidence vote, it cannot field suitable candidates should be a worry not cause for celebration.