ISLAMABAD: The Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) made a clean sweep in the by elections to national and provincial assemblies held on Jan 10.
LJI routed the Pakistan democratic alliance led by Benazir Bhutto Of the nine national assembly by elections the IJI won seven with the PDA and an independent sharing one each In the provincial assembly polls secured 11 of the 15 seats with PDA and independents cornering two each.
In the October elections the IJI had recorded an impressive victory winning 105 of the 207 Muslim seats in the national assembly and over 260 of the 460 provincial assembly Muslim seats.
The by elections were held since these seats had been vacated by members who had more than one seat in the last elections. Among them were Nawaz Sharif former premiers Mohammad Khan Junejo and Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi Ejaz Ul Haq the Punjab chief minister Ghulam Hyder Wyne and Ghulam Mustafa Khar.
While the IJI has retained its seats it has also made some fresh gains by defeating veteran parliamentarian and chief of the Pakistan Democratic Party Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan in Muzaffargarh in Punjab.
The PDP leader who had received the support of Bhutto and some disgruntled IJI elements lost to Malik Ghulam Mohammad Noor Rabani Khar of the IJI by over 14000 votes. The seat had earlier been won by Noor Rabani Khar’s brother Ghulam Mustafa Khar as an independent.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 18, 1991
