Monitoring Desk
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) secured a comfortable victory in the by-election for Punjab Assembly seat PP-52 in Sialkot on Sunday, but the win was marred by serious allegations of rigging and interference from rival parties, including the PTI and PPP.
According to unofficial results, PML-N’s Hina Arshad Warraich won the seat with 78,702 votes, defeating PTI-backed independent candidate Fakhir Nashat Ghumman, who secured 39,018 votes. The seat had fallen vacant following the death of her father, sitting MPA Arshad Javed Warraich.
While polling was generally peaceful across the 185 polling stations, verbal spats between PTI supporters and police were reported at a few locations. However, post-polling accusations triggered political tensions.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the PML-N candidate and thanked Sialkot’s voters for placing their trust in the party. Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari hailed the result as a clear expression of public confidence in Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
However, rival parties alleged systematic interference.
In Sambrial, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) held a sit-in outside the returning officer’s (RO) office, protesting the placement of containers that they claimed restricted access. The administration said the containers had been there since polling began and the RO office remained open.
Former prime minister and senior PPP leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf told reporters that polling stations were shut in certain areas. He warned that if results were manipulated, it would reflect poorly on the credibility of the government and demanded that the Chief Election Commissioner take notice.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) dismissed these concerns. Punjab Election Commissioner Sharifullah stated that voting continued uninterrupted across all polling stations until 5pm, and said complaints would be reviewed if submitted through proper channels.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) launched a scathing attack on the Punjab government, accusing it of orchestrating electoral fraud. PTI leaders claimed their polling agents were forcibly expelled, and alleged that PML-N workers were allowed to remain inside polling stations to stamp ballot papers.
“We have video evidence of rigging. Our polling agents were beaten and removed by police who openly supported PML-N workers,” claimed PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqqas Akram at a press conference in Islamabad. “The ECP helpline was also non-functional during polling hours.”
He accused the Punjab government of pre-poll rigging, suggesting the large turnout at PTI rallies had made the ruling party fearful of defeat. “This was not an election — it was manipulation from start to finish,” he alleged.
In response, Azma Bukhari dismissed the claims, mocking the PPP’s poor electoral performance and accusing PTI of playing the victim. “Even those who got just 400 votes are now crying foul,” she said.
As both opposition parties gear up to escalate their complaints to the ECP and other forums, the controversy surrounding the Sialkot by-poll seems far from over — raising renewed concerns about electoral transparency in Punjab.
