CM Maryam says PTI boycotted by-polls after sensing defeat

• PTI contested Haripur poll in name of founder but still lost: CM
• Governance, not slogans, brings success, asserts Maryam.
• Says Punjab, KP voters clearly chose PML-N in by-elections.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Monday said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) boycotted the by-elections in Punjab after foreseeing its "defeat".

Addressing a presser in Lahore, CM Maryam said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's (PML-N) "sweeping victory" in the by-elections shows that the public has rejected “empty narratives” and voted on the basis of performance.

"A boycott only shows frustration," she remarked.

The chief minister said both she and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif went to jail but never boycotted elections.

She also questioned the PTI's decision to contest the by-election only in NA-18 (Haripur) and boycotted the elections in other constituencies.

She said that in Haripur, the PTI contested the by-elections “in the name of prisoner number 804” but still failed to secure victory.

“Their claims of popularity have collapsed in these by-elections,” she added.

CM Maryam said that governance, not rhetoric, brings electoral success. “You don’t win by election slogans, you win through performance,” she said. “There is no better narrative than delivery.”

The chief minister said that the PML-N has regained the seats it lost in the general elections. “PML-N has won back its seats. This is a historic victory for us in the by-elections,” she said.

“The people of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have clearly decided in favour of PML-N.”

The chief minister criticised "disruptions" in earlier political periods, saying, “in 2018, the country was progressing, but it was derailed.”

Maryam said that no political narrative can succeed without visible work on the ground. “If there is no performance, no narrative can help you,” she asserted.

By-elections

The ruling PML-N clean-swept the by-polls for six National Assembly and won six out of seven Punjab Assembly seats, according to unofficial results.

The seats fell vacant largely due to the disqualification of PTI lawmakers convicted in cases related to the May 9, 2023, riots following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan.

By-elections were held in six National Assembly constituencies — NA-18 (Haripur), NA-96 (Faisalabad), NA-104 (Faisalabad), NA-129 (Lahore), NA-143 (Sahiwal), and NA-185 (Dera Ghazi Khan).

Polling was also held in seven Punjab Assembly constituencies, PP-73 (Sargodha), PP-87 (Mianwali), PP-98 (Faisalabad), PP-115 (Faisalabad), PP-116 (Faisalabad), PP-203 (Sahiwal), and PP-269 (Muzaffargarh).

As per the unofficial results, the PML-N won all the seats, except PP-269, where the Pakistan Peoples Party emerged victorious.