ISLAMABAD, Oct 6: Candidates backed by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) and its coalition partners won most of the district, Tehsil and town nazim seats in the third phase of the local government elections held all over the country on Thursday, according to unofficial results declared by the Election Commission of Pakistan here on Thursday.

In Punjab, the PML won nazim’s seats in 26 out of 34 districts, as it suffered defeat in Faisalabad, Kasur, Pakpattan, Muzaffargarh, Mianwali, Khushab, Sahiwal and Vehari.

The Haq Parast Group, backed by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), bagged almost all the top slots in Karachi and Hyderabad while the government-backed Khushhal Pakistan Panel (KPP) swept the polls throughout interior Sindh except in Jamshoro district. The PPP-backed Awam Dost Panel faced its worst-ever defeat in its strongholds of Larkana, Nawabshah, Sanghar and Umerkot.

Similarly, the PML-backed Khushal Pakistan Group won 10 of the 24 districts in the NWFP, followed by the JUI-F which bagged four districts. The Jamaat-i-Islami, which suffered a defeat in Nowshera, where Qazi Hussain Ahmad’s son Asif Luqman Qazi lost to the PPP candidate, was able to win in three districts.

The ANP, PML-N and the PPP (Sherpao) managed to win two districts each.

In Balochistan, the PML has come out victorious, winning all important seats in 14 out of 27 districts, including Quetta and Gwadar. The JUI-F won in five districts of Pashtoon areas while the BNP-Awami won the seats in Kech and Panjgur districts. The nationalists won the district nazim seats in Khuzdar, Mastung and Awaran while Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party could win only in Musakhel district.

Polling was peaceful all over the country, except some minor clashes between rival groups in Hyderabad and Jamshoro in Sindh. The polling was suspended for about two hours at a polling station in Jamshoro.

Acting Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, addressing a news conference after completion of polling, said that the third and the last phase of local elections had been completed peacefully.

He told reporters that out of 108 districts, the results of 50 districts had been received by the Election Commission till 11pm and the final results would be announced on Saturday. He said the EC would hold inquiry into allegations regarding use of state machinery, horse-trading and visits by federal ministers to polling stations.

According to unofficial results, several interesting contests were witnessed in the elections.

In Mianwali, the group backed by federal minister Sher Afgan defeated Rokris supported by the Punjab chief minister. In Rawalpindi, former district naib nazim Raja Javed Ikhlas, backed by the government, defeated former nazim Raja Tariq Kiani, who was enjoying the support of all opposition groups.

Siddique Khan, brother of Federal Minister for Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis Ghulam Sarwar Khan, became Taxila town nazim for the second term. Similarly, former Attock nazim Major (retd) Tahir Sadiq Khan retained his office for the second term.

Government-backed candidate Sardar Ghulam Abbas outmatched his rival Gen (retd) Abdul Majeed Malik by a margin of 132 votes to become Chakwal district nazim.

MNA Sahibzada Mian Jalil Ahmad Sharqpuri, who had left the PML-N and joined the ruling PML, has been elected Sheikhupura district nazim. MNA Inamul Haq Piracha, who also had left his party, the PPP, was elected as Sargodha district nazim as the PML- nominee.

Fayyaz Ahmed Chattha, the son of Hamid Nasir Chattha, was elected Gujranwala district Nazim. He defeated former MNA Abdullah Virk. Mian Shahid Shamim Haider, son of Federal Railways Minister Mian Shamim Haider, was elected Shahkot tehsil nazim.

Syed Mustafa Kamal of the Haq Parast Group, backed by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), won the post of Karachi city nazim by defeating former city nazim Niamatullah Khan. The Haq Parast group not only emerged victorious in the contest of city nazim, but its candidates clinched the slots of nazims in 14 of the 18 towns.

Zila Nazim candidate and MPA Kanwar Naveed Jameel of the Haq Parast Panel registered a comprehensive victory in Hyderabad District, beating his closest rival PPP-backed Awam Dost Panel (ADP) candidate Mir Fateh Talpur.

There is a tie on the zila nazim slot in Nawabshah as both the candidates, Faryal Talpur of the PPP and Khan Mohammad Dahiri, received equal number of 328 votes.

The government-backed candidates Begum Saeeda Soomro and MNA Salim Jan Mazari were elected district nazims of Jacobabad and Kashmore districts, respectively. Begum Saeeda Soomro is mother of Senate Chairman Mohammadmian Soomro.

Azam Khan Durrani, cousin of NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani, won the slot of Bannu nazim. He defeated MMA Senator Prof. Mohammad Ibrahim. In Haripur, PML-N’s candidate and former provincial minister Yousaf Ayub Khan won the district nazim seat with a thin margin of five votes.