Pakistan by-election: Sharif wife 'wins Lahore seat'

The wife of pakistan's former top minister who stepped down over a corruption inquiry has gained a key seat in lahore, unofficial outcomes endorse.
Kulsoom nawaz stood in area of her husband nawaz sharif, who was disqualified from office in july.
She received 61,254 votes, 14,188 more than her nearest rival, local media say.
The vote changed into visible by using each the ruling pml-n birthday party and the competition as a referendum at the splendid courtroom's choice to disqualify mr sharif.
Ms nawaz is presently in london for cancer remedy. Her daughter, maryam, spearheaded the campaign for the pml-n party in her absence.
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"this isn't an normal victory," maryam instructed birthday party supporters after the unofficial effects have been declared. "you've got defeated now not handiest folks who had been within the area however additionally those who are invisible."
She said triumphing her father's former seat inside the own family's native land showed that human beings had rejected the "unjust decision" to disqualify her father.
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However, if the outcomes are showed, the party's proportion of the vote inside the key constituency has dropped via about 7%.
The ultimate courtroom barred mr sharif from workplace after an inquiry into the 2016 panama papers sell off connected his kids to offshore corporations.
He has constantly denied the allegations, but the supreme court has brushed off petitions seeking a assessment of its choice.
Media reports counseled a large turnout for the vote on sunday, with lengthy queues forming out of doors polling stations.
Pakistani soldiers help a polling officer bring election substances in lahore (sixteen september 2017)picture copyrightafp
Picture caption
The army helped to provide protection for the via-election
The election changed into contested by way of all the important parties, in addition to two new islamist opposition events.
Pml-n confronted a robust project from the pti celebration led by cricketer-turned-baby-kisser imran khan and the pakistan people's birthday celebration of bilawal bhutto zardari.
The by means of-election become also seen as a take a look at of assist for the sharif circle of relatives ahead of subsequent 12 months's general election.
Maryam nawaz, who does not keep political workplace however is a high-profile discern in pakistan, alleged that numerous pml-n party employees were threatened in advance of polling day.
She took centre level in the lead-up to the vote and at some stage in the marketing campaign sought to portray it because the "people's verdict" on her father's disqualification.
In a recent bbc interview she said the issue had "galvanised his supporters" and that public sentiment was "very nice".
Greater than 320,000 citizens took part in the ballot , which for the primary time in pakistan's history become performed the usage of biometric voter verification machines in a few the constituency's 220 polling stations, dawn information pronounced.