Nawaz accuses of rigging in NA-120 by-poll

LAHORE: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Sunday accused of occurrence of rigging in Lahore’s NA-120 by-election, while counting for the votes was still underway, ARY News reported.

He alleged that the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) supporters were forced missing before they casted their votes.

Talking to the media in London after initial results implied the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s win, the former PM said kidnapping of people was part of the electoral rigging.

At least 12 people of the PML-N were reportedly missing from the constituency.

The former PM said the PML-N was reviewing the NA-120 polling results as they had received reports of electoral irregularities in the constituency.

Later according to unofficial and unconfirmed results of all the polling stations, PML-N candidate Begum Kulsoom Nawaz won the NA-120 by-election with a margin of 14,188 votes on Sunday.

Kulsoom bagged 61,254 votes to secure the National Assembly seat, while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Dr Yasmin Rashid stood runner-up with 47,066 votes.

NA-120 seat had fallen vacant after Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification as a premier by the Supreme Court on July 28.

On this occasion, Nawaz showered his daughter with praise for running “extremely effective election campaign” on behalf of her mother Kulsoom Nawaz, who is undergoing a surgery in London.

He said he was focusing on illness of his wife Kulsoom Nawaz who would undergo another surgery.

Kulsoom Nawaz had recently undergone a throat cancer surgery.

The deposed PM is also in London along with his sons – Hassan and Hussain Nawaz.