ISLAMABAD   -  Pakistan People’s Party yesterday chided Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) Vice President Maryam Nawaz after she pointed fingers at the PPP victory against her party’s nominee in the Karachi by-elections.

According to the unofficial results, PPP’s Qadir Khan Mandokhail won the NA-249 Karachi seat receiving 16,156 votes against PML-N’s Miftah Ismail who bagged 15,473 votes. Proscribed Tehrik-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s Mufti Nazir Kamalwi stood third with 11,125 votes in the April 29 polls. 

Yesterday, Maryam Nawaz hinted to challenge the by-elections results of the NA-249 constituency in Karachi. She slammed the political opponents in a Twitter message, saying that the tactics to defeat her political party will be exposed soon. 

The PML-N VP threatened that the lion could not be hunted down so easily, adding, they should remember it and wait for the response. 

PPP’s Shazia Murree hit back at Maryam Nawaz. She said the PML-N must have the courage to accept defeat.  

“PML-N’s protest is confusing. They should be happy that we defeated the PTI (Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf). The Karachi results have upset PPP opponents,” she said.

Surprisingly, she said, the media did not see the rigging but “only Maryam Nawaz saw this.”

Shazia Marri said the Opposition has defeated the rulers. “Our target is the incompetent government of Imran Khan and not any Opposition party,” she added. Marri said the people of Karachi had expressed confidence in Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.  “Guided by Asif Ali Zardari and led by Bilawal Bhutto. We have won,” she said. 

Meanwhile, PPP Central Punjab General Secretary Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed said Maryam Nawaz’s statement regarding rigging in Karachi was similar to the statement she made regarding her properties in London.

“Fake lions should stop hiding their defeat under the guise of rigging and show good spirit by admitting defeat. Shehbaz Sharif should issue show cause notices to elements of his party that led to PML-N’s humiliating defeat,” he said.

He said where did the 20,000 extra votes of PML-N that Shehbaz Sharif got in 2018 go?  “On what grounds did the people of Karachi reject PML-N? Shehbaz Sharif has to think,” he said.