ATTOCK: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Jhanghir Khanzada — son of the slain home minister of Punjab, Shuja Khanzada — reportedly won the seat of the PP-16 Attock-II constituency with a clear majority in the by-election held on Tuesday.
According to the unofficial results, Jhanghir bagged about 40,390 votes while his opponent, an independent candidate, managed to get only 4,123 votes, sources said.
Owing to the clear victory, PML-N leaders and a large number of activists thronged the residence of Khanzada at Shadi Khan village to congratulate him.
Talking to local media, Jhanghir Khanzada thanked the people of his constituency and political leaders for extending their complete support to him and his father's mission.
He assured that he would continue his struggle, like his father, to serve the people.
The election had apparently remained one-sided due to the overwhelming support of the people, political parties and groups to Jahanghir Khanzada against Dr Naeem Awan, who contested as an independent candidate.
Local political analysts had already predicted the victory of Jhanghir Khanzada due to the death of his father, Colonel (retd) Shujah Khanzada, who was in the front-line while implementing the National Action Plan in Punjab.
Awan is the leader of Pakistan Peoples Party but he contested election in independent capacity since all political parties had earlier decided that they would not field their candidates against Jhanghir Khanzada in the by-election.
The PP-16 Attock –II constituency was lying vacant since the tragic death of Shuja Khanzada in a terrorist attack at his residence in August, who had won this seat as a PML-N candidate with 38,791 votes in the 2013 election.
This is the second time that Awan has faced defeat in this constituency, since he bagged only 990 votes as a PPP candidate in the 2013 general elections against Shuja Khanzada.
According to the District Election Commissioner, 137 polling stations were established, where 989 personnel from different departments were deputed to conduct the election process. It remained peaceful throughout the proceedings.
