Sharif, Bhutto party win local polls in Punjab, Sindh

Islamabad: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have emerged winners in local government elections in Punjab and Sindh respectively, according to unofficial results.

The voting for municipal slots was held Saturday amid tight security in 12 districts of Punjab and eight districts of Sindh in the first phase while polls in the remaining districts will take place in the second and third phases later.

Out of 2,696 seats contested in the 12 districts of Punjab, unofficial results for around 2,200 were available by Sunday afternoon.

The PML-N candidates had won more than 1,000 seats while independents bagged over 800, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) 231, PPP 41, PML-Q 33 and Jamaat-e-Islami and Pakistan Awami Tehreek got two seats each.

In the eight districts of Sindh, unofficial results for 777 seats out of the total 1,072 were announced, of which PPP secured 569, independents 129, PML-F 61, Muttahida Qaumi Movement and PTI four each, while PML-N bagged only three seats.

Polling was by and large peaceful in both provinces but an armed clash between rivals in Khairpur district in Sindh reportedly claimed a dozen lives.

The last local government elections were held in the country in 2005 during the regime of military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

PML-N was upbeat over the results in its Punjab stronghold where the PTI led by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan had mounted a challenge.

Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid said the first phase of local government elections had been successfully completed to further strengthen democracy in the country.

Talking to the media in Lahore on Sunday, Rashid hoped the next two phases will also take place as per the schedule.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, younger brother of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, said people of the province had rejected those levelling baseless allegations of rigging.

In his message to congratulate the winning candidates of PML-N, the chief minister said politics of honesty, public welfare and hard work had won in Punjab.

The local government elections have validated the results of the 2013 general elections, which the PTI claims were manipulated, Shahbaz said.