PTI wins both Senate seats from Punjab

ISLAMABAD: In a blow to the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidates on Thursday won both Senate seats from Punjab in a by-poll at the Punjab Assembly, ARY News reported.

According to the details, PTI’s Waleed Iqbal defeated PML-N candidate Saud Majeed on the general seat by securing 184 votes. His contender Saud Majeed grabbed 174 votes.

Whereas PTI senior leader Jahangir Khan Tareen’s sister Seemi Aizdi routed former state minister for health Saira Afzal Tarar on a reserved seat for women. She received 183 votes and her contender Saira Afzal Tarar got 175 votes.

It is pertinent to mention here that seven votes for general seat and 9 votes for reserved seat for women were rejected during the by-polls.

According to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the polling started at Punjab Assembly building at 9:00 am and continued till 4:00 pm without any break.

As many as 767 votes had been cast on the both Senate seats during the voting process to elect new members of the upper house.

The ECP had appointed Election Commissioner Punjab Zafar Iqbal Hussain as Returning Officer besides five Polling Officers for the purpose of the senate by-elections.

The two Senate seats in Punjab fell vacant after Sadia Abbasi, the sister of former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and PML-N leader Haroon Akhtar Khan were disqualified for possessing dual nationalities.

They were disqualified by the apex court for holding dual nationalities under Article 63 (1)(c) of the Constitution at the time of filing their nomination papers for upper house of the parliament.