ABBOTTABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf candidate Akber Ayub on Thursday won the by-election for provincial assembly seat of PK-50, Haripur-II, by defeating his rival candidate of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Qazi Mohammad Asad, according to unofficial results.

Sources said that Mr Ayub received 25,671 votes against 19,969 of Mr Asad, a former provincial minister, whereas independent candidate Babar Nawaz could manage 19,417 votes.

After complete results were received at the main election office, the PTI workers started celebration by dancing to drum beats and firing in the air.

The seat had fallen vacant after PTI MPA Yousaf Ayub, who is brother of Akber Ayub, was disqualified by an election tribunal in Sept 2013 and subsequently the Supreme Court upheld his disqualification. The tribunal had declared that Mr Yousaf was not righteous and sagacious in terms of Article 62 and 63 of the Constitution as he had submitted fake graduation degree in a previous election.