President Pervez Musharraf’s political allies, the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), appear to have lost their grip over the country’s parliament, with the Pakistan People’s Party-Parliamentarians (PPPP) and the PML-Nawaz (PML-N) overtaking the “bicycle” in the election race. Lion roars again: The PML-N swept Punjab despite low voter turnout in all 35 districts of the province. PML-Q’s Sheikh Rashid lost to PML-N’s Makhdoom Javed Hashmi in NA-55. He also lost to PML-N’s Muhammad Hanif Abbasi in NA-56, according to unofficial results.
Shujaat lost to PPPPÂ’s Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar in his hometown of Gujrat and was lagging behind PML-NÂ’s Rana Abdus Sattar in Sialkot. PPPPÂ’s Shah Mehmood Qureshi also won his seat. PPPPÂ’s Dr Firdaus Ashiq Awan beat out PML-QÂ’s Chaudhry Amir Hussain. PML-Q Punjab President Pervaiz Elahi was losing on two NA seats but won a third in Attock. PML-QÂ’s Chaudhry Shahbaz Hussain, former population welfare minister, lost his seat for NA-62.
Other PML-Q bigwigs that lost include Rao Sikandar Iqbal, Sher Afgan Niazi, Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, Nasir Khan, Hamid Nasir Chattha, Humayun Akhtar Khan, Chaudhry Amir Hussain, Ijazul Haq, Ghulam Sarwar Khan and Daniyal Aziz.
Meanwhile, showing that the PML-Q was not completely out, Faisal Saleh Hayat of the party beat PPPPÂ’s Abida Hussain in NA-88.
PPPP comes home: The PPPP, based on early results, appears to have overtaken the PML-N and the MQM in Sindh, establishing the party as a force to be reckoned with in its home state. PPPPÂ’s Amin Fahim was one of the big winners in the province.
ANP kicks in: The Awami National Party (ANP) took the maximum number of seats based on early poll results, leaving the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal in the dust. PML-Q NWFP President Amir Muqam and Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, both ‘King’s men’, won the seats in their respective constituencies. According to unofficial results, Jamiat Ulema-e-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman won in NA-26, but lost NA-24 to Faisal Karim Kundi.
Business as usual: Balochistan witnessed a historic low turnout in the parliamentary elections and the early poll results did not show a clear winner in the province, although the PML-Q appeared to be leading.