Maryam Nawaz backs down to the worse call of fortune

Defeat should be accepted with an open heart: Maryam Nawaz. Following PTI’s lead in the by-election on 20 constituencies of Punjab, PML-N  conceded defeat on Sunday.

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz took to her Twitter handle saying that the defeat should be accepted with an open heart after the unofficial results started pouring in, showing the PTI in the lead.

“The PML-N should accept the results of the by-polls with an open heart and concede to the decision of the masses,” Maryam wrote.

She added that winning and losing was part of politics, therefore, the party should now focus on its weaknesses, identify them, and then overcome them.

“God willing, everything will be fine,” she said.

Meanwhile, speaking to Geo News, PML-N’s senior leader Malik Mohammad Ahmed Khan also accepted that PTI had received a “landslide victory” in the hotly-contested Punjab by-polls.

“I accept that PTI has won and the party wholeheartedly accepts the opinion of the public,” he said.

He further added that everybody can get into the debate of how and what happened, but “apparently the situation right now shows that PTI has won the elections; therefore, we congratulate them and accept our defeat.”

‘Snap-elections’

Replying to a question regarding PML-N’s strategy for the election for the position of Chief Minister Punjab, scheduled to be held on July 22, Khan said: “I spoke to Hamza Shahbaz and he was of the view that people have expressed their choice, so we need to acknowledge it.”

“Last time the situation was different as there were divisions among the party but this time, it is all about the public and now we will assess where we went wrong,” he said, adding he considered these by-polls as snap-elections.

Lamenting that the party lost three major seats in Lahore, he said that now there was no reason for the party to stick to their electioneering campaign.

‘This is a difficult situation’

“This is a difficult situation for us [PML-N] as we have lost elections in Punjab, where we’ve always had a stronghold, and our government in federal is a coalition setup with thin numbers,” he maintained.

Khan further added that when parties consider public opinion, power becomes secondary and people’s choice becomes the top priority.

Replying to a question regarding the chances of early elections, he accepted that the results show PML-N has lost the hold of Punjab. At the same time, for the federal government, he refrained from commenting as decisions are taken after consultations from all coalition parties.

“The government of Punjab will now inevitably be formed by the PTI,” he said, adding that all political parties should now strengthen their positions.

The MP stated that the party plans go into the next elections under a coordinated strategy, citing the inclusion of PTI dissidents into the party as one of the primary reasons behind our defeat.

On the other hand, Imran Khan accused The PML

PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday took to his Twitter account and accused the PML-led Punjab government of violating the orders of the Supreme Court of  Pakistan and the Election Commission of Pakistan  (ECP)  by trying to “rig” the provincial by-polls.

The much-awaited by-elections for the   20 constituencies of the province were held today, starting at 8am today and coming to an end at 5pm amid reports of isolated clashes and arrests.

In his tweet, the former prime minister  highlighted the untoward incidents that took place throughout the day, and said that the provincial government resorted to using  “government and state machinery to rig the election, illegal ballot stamping, harassment of voters, and arrests of PTI leaders.”

“Today Punjab govt has brazenly violated SC orders & election rules by openly using all govt/State machinery to rig Punjab elections through illegal ballot stamping & harassing voters while arresting PTI ldrs. Through it all ECP turned a blind eye. Courts must open now & act,” he tweeted.

He further accused the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) of turning a blind eye to the incidents, and said the “courts must open now [and] act.”

What happened throughout the day?

Polling in 20 constituencies of Punjab, which started at 8am today, came to an end at 5pm amid reports of isolated clashes and arrests.

During the day, Punjab police arrested senior PTI leader Shahbaz Gill for allegedly visiting different polling booths with his security guards who were dressed as FC personnel.

Meanwhile, the ECP issued a notice to PTI Vice-President Shah Mehmood Qureshi for violating Article 56 of the Election Commission’s code of conduct by visiting different polling stations, holding press briefings within the limits of the PP-217 Multan constituency, and launching an illegal raid along with supporters.

The ECP took notice of the fight in Lahore’s PP-158 and ordered the district returning officer to review the situation in the constituency and contact security officials.

A scuffle broke out between the PTI and PML-N workers during the polling process in Lahore’s constituency PP-158. As a result, one of the PML-N workers sustained a head injury.