SAHIWAL: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has announced a boycott of the upcoming by-election in PP-203 (Sahiwal-VI, Tehsil Chichawatni), scheduled for Nov 8.

The announcement was made by PTI Information Secretary Shaikh Waqas Akram in a video message released on social media platforms.

Conveying the directives of party founding chairman Imran Khan, he said no PTI worker, supporter, office-bearer or activist from Sahiwal would participate in campaigning or any other election-related activity at any stage.

He said PTI would fully boycott the by-election in line with the party’s policy and warned that any candidate using the party’s name, flag or election symbol would not have its official backing.

Rai Hasan Nawaz, former MNA and president of PTI West Punjab, who was disqualified and de-seated from NA-143 following an Anti-Terrorism Court decision in Faisalabad after winning the 2024 general election, told Dawn from an undisclosed location that PTI voters and supporters would not participate in the by-election.

He said elections conducted under the “Form-47 government” were unacceptable to PTI. He further confirmed that the Rai family would neither contest nor support any candidate or political party in the upcoming poll.

According to reports, 10 candidates submitted their nomination papers for PP-203 to Returning Officer Khudadad Tarar on the last day.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2026