LONDON: The former prime minister and ruling PML-N’s supremo Nawaz Sharif has expressed annoyance over his party’s “worst defeat” in Sunday’s by-elections, directing the party officials to set up a fact-finding committee on the by-poll drubbing.
Sources within PML-N on Monday that chaotic scenes were witnessed at party huddles with after Nawaz expressed dissatisfaction over the party leadership’s performance in yesterday’s by-elections in three provinces of the country and directed the ministers and senior party leaders to submit the report on the thumping defeat.
The PML-N leadership submitted a preliminary report on the election defeat to Nawaz Sharif, in which rising inflation and massive increase in electricity prices were quoted as major reasons behind the defeat.
The insiders added the report also held party’s renewed ‘conciliatory narrative’ and lack of senior leadership interest in the party affairs responsible for the upset in by-polls.
Read more: Announce elections or prepare to face the music this month, warns Imran
Last night, Imran Khan won six National Assembly seats for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the by-election that was seen as a direct contest between the former ruling party and the current ruling coalition led by PML-N.
Out of the eight National Assembly seats previously held by the PTI, Imran contested on seven, while Meher Bano Qureshi was to defend the party’s bastion in Multan. However, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) made inroads, with Hakeem Baloch winning in Karachi and Ali Musa Gilani in Multan.
