LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf (PTI) has improved its position in Lahore by clinching four of the 14 National Assembly seats, according to unofficial results.

In the 2013 polls, the PTI had won one of the 13 NA seats. The PML-N bagged 12 seats at that time.

PTI chairman Imran Khan finally managed to win a National Assembly seat in Lahore by defeating PML-N stalwart Saad Rafique with a narrow margin of less than 1,000 votes in NA-131.

Senior PTI leader Shafqat Mahmood, Hammad Azhar, son of former governor Mian Azhar, and Karamat Khokhar defeated PML-N’s Khwaja Hassaan, Mehr Ishtiaq and Saiful Maluk Khokhar in NA-130, NA-126 and NA-135, respectively. Shafqat Mahmood has been re-elected on this seat by defeating Mr Hassaan.

PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shahbaz have comfortably won NA-132 and NA-124, defeating Mian Mansha Sindhu and Qaisar Nauman of the PTI with a huge margin of votes.

Dr Yasmin Rashid who was being considered favourite to win the ancestral seat of the Sharif family NA-125, lost to PML-N’s Waheed Alam Khan with a close margin. PML-N Lahore president Pervaiz Malik Riaz (NA-133), his son Ali Pervaiz (NA-127), Ayaz Sadiq (NA-129), Sheikh Rohail Asghar (NA-128), Malik Riaz (NA-123), Afzal Khokhar (NA-135) and Rana Mubashir (NA-134) defeated PTI’s Ejaz Chaudhry, Iqbal Cheema, Aleem Khan, Ijaz Diyal, Mehr Wajid, Asad Khokhar and Zaheer Abbas Khokhar, respectively.

According to unofficial results, the PTI also managed to win eight Punjab Assembly seats out of 30 in Lahore. The remaining were won by the PML-N.

The Election Commission of Pakistan has yet to announce the results of these constituencies.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2018