Nawaz Sharif’s Party Clinches Local Election Victory

The wife of ousted Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has captured his parliamentary seat with a reduced majority in a by-election.

It is being seen as a test of support for the Sharif dynasty ahead of the 2018 general election, euronews.net reported.

Sharif’s daughter Maryam and her mother Kulsoom have reportedly won the seat for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Party.

Maryam, who is seen by some as a future leader, spearheaded the PML-N campaign for her mother with fiery speeches denouncing the judiciary.

In an interview before the vote, she hinted at military involvement in her father’s ouster.

She said her mother Kulsoom won despite PML-N party workers being threatened and kidnapped.

Although she did not name anyone, PML-N sources said she was referring to alleged intimidation by parts of Pakistan’s powerful military.

The military could not be reached for comment.

The main opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party made gains but alleged voter irregularities in the eastern city of Lahore, the electoral heartlands of the Sharif family since the 1980s.

Opposition leader Imran Khan had sought to build on the success of his anti-graft crusade by making inroads into the Sharif’s power-base in Punjab.

Khan turned the by-election into a plebiscite about corruption and has accused the provincial Punjab government, which is run by Nawaz’s brother Shahbaz, of abusing state resources to help the PML-N campaign.