ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday congratulated Pakistan’s newly elected legislators, saying that the results of Sunday’s by-polls reflected ​people’s confidence in the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party. 

Pakistan conducted by-polls across 21 national and provincial constituencies on Sunday. In Punjab, polls were held on 12 provincial and two National Assembly seats while in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, by-polls were held on four seats. Elections were also held on two seats in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province while one National Assembly seat in Sindh was also up for grabs.

Quoting unofficial and preliminary results, Pakistani news website Geo.tv said Sharif’s party succeeded in winning electoral contests in four out of 12 provincial seats in Punjab while it also won a provincial assembly seat in Balochistan and one National Assembly seat in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore. 

“The victory of the newly elected members of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) in the by-elections is a manifestation of the people’s confidence,” the PML-N quoted Sharif as saying on X. “We assure the public that we will spare no effort in serving them.”

The Pakistani premier said the PML-N candidates’ success is a public recognition of the government’s efforts to restore the economy, reduce inflation and improve foreign relations.

“With further economic improvement and increase in relief for the masses, the public’s opinion will change further in the coming days,” he said.

Meanwhile, jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party rejected the results of the by-polls, alleging that they were heavily rigged in favor of the ruling party. 

“Congratulations to you and your party for such a victory in which the election was stolen in broad daylight by trampling on the people’s opinion,” the PTI wrote to Punjab Chief Minister and PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz Sharif on X. 

In another post on the social media platform, the PTI accused authorities of helping PML-N candidates win via force. It saluted voters for “forcing the system to its knees.”

The polls were held amid suspension of cellular services in Balochistan and specific districts of Punjab. On Saturday, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), which regulates Internet in the country, said the decision to keep cellular services suspended was taken on the interior ministry’s directions.

“This decision has been taken to safeguard the integrity and security of the electoral process,” the regulator said in a statement.

The federal government authorized the deployment of civil armed forces and Pakistan Army to assist the ECP in peaceful conduct of by-polls.