THARPARKAR: The Pakistan People’s Pary (PPP) won the NA 221 seat in Tharparkar by a landslide, serving a humiliating defeat to the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaaf (PTI).
Pir Ameer Ali Shah Jilani of PPP crushed PTI’s Niazmuddin Rahimoon by a lead of over 50,000 votes.
PPP received over 102,000 votes while PTI lagged far behind with only approximately 52,000 votes.
The seat had fallen vacant after PPP’s MNA Pir Noor Mohammad Shah had died from COVID-19 in December last year. His son, Jilani, took his place in the by-poll.
Voting was briefly on Sunday after a small fire erupted at a polling station in the district’s Chachro tehsil, which caused a media frenzy and panic amongst voters.
According to Tharparkar SSP Hassan Sardar Niazi, the “accidental” fire had erupted at polling station no. 126 near Chachro town and “caused damage to some ballot papers and other material”. The official, however, had refuted media reports that three persons had been detained for arson.
PPP leaders as well as workers, who gathered at Jilani House in Chhachhro, said the people of Tharparkar had rejected the PTI just like in other districts of the province.
