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Imran Khan Makes Political Gains Across Pakistan, Gives Sharif Another ’Chance’ to Hold Federal Vote

© AFP 2023 / ASIF HASSANPakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks at an event of Karachi Bar Association in Karachi on October 14, 2022.
Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks at an event of Karachi Bar Association in Karachi on October 14, 2022. - Sputnik International, 1920, 17.10.2022
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Asad Umar, secretary-general of opposition party PTI, told reporters at a press conference after midnight that the election results marked another “chance” for the Shehbaz Sharif government to hold a federal election which has been a key demand by the former premier.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister and PTI leader Imran Khan has won six of the seven seats he was contesting in by-elections held on Sunday for the National Assembly, according to a statement from his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI).
This is the most seats Khan has won in a single election. In 2018, the PTI chairman won five seats in the federal election, when he first came to power.
As of Monday, official results have yet to be declared by Pakistan's Election Commission, but Khan's supporters have already started celebrating in major cities after the former cricketer started to claim victory in one seat after another.
By-elections for eight National Assembly seats were held throughout the provinces of Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and three provincial assembly constituencies in Punjab were also being contested.
Khan’s PTI, which is part of the ruling coalition in Punjab, has claimed victory in two of the three seats, thus further strengthening the position of the ruling coalition in the provincial assembly.
At the federal level, Khan has claimed victory from the National Assembly seats of Peshawar, Faisalabad, Nankana Sahib, Mardan and Charsadda.
Meanwhile, candidates of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), headed by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, won in Multan and Karachi.
The impressive show in the by-elections is a shot-in-the-arm for Khan, who has been demanding a federal election since he was ousted from power in April this year in a no-confidence motion without being allowed to complete his full-term.

In dozens of public rallies held by Khan since he was ousted from his premiership, he has blamed the US for instigating the no-confidence motion which led to his removal, arguing that the Joe Biden administration wasn’t happy with his “independent foreign policy”.

Furthermore, Khan has accused the new Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, of being a “puppet” to Biden.
In an attempt to force the government to call a federal election, Khan has called for a “long march” for “haqeeqi azadi" [complete freedom] to Islamabad. The “do or die” march will go ahead in spite of government’s warnings to Khan not to hold the event, which is expected to witness thousands of Khan’s supporters from across the country descending upon Islamabad for a massive demonstration.
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