PML-N candidate Malik Munir Iqbal Channar has won the NA-168 Bahawalpur by-election, keeping the National Assembly seat with the ruling party. The seat was vacated after the death of his father, Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar.
Unofficial and unconfirmed results from all 292 polling stations put Munir Iqbal at 79,306 votes. Independent candidate Wali Dad Cheema finished well behind with 42,623 votes.
How the Voting Went
Polling started at 8am on Sunday and ran until 5pm with no interruption. The constituency has more than 483,000 registered voters.
The by-election was necessary because PML-N lawmaker Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar died in August. The party then handed the ticket to his son.
Shehbaz Sharif Congratulates the Winner
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Munir Iqbal and called the outcome a sign of public confidence in the PML-N. He also extended his felicitations to Munir Iqbal’s brother, Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Malik Zaheer Iqbal Channar.
Shehbaz said the late Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar had stood by the party and its leader Nawaz Sharif for many years and had served it well. According to the prime minister, the son’s win shows that the same loyalty and public service live on.
“Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar rendered valuable services to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, and the victory of his son is a reflection of the continuation of that loyalty and public service,” the prime minister said.
Shehbaz also thanked voters in Bahawalpur for taking part in the democratic process and choosing their representative.
Channar Family Back in the National Assembly
The result brings the Channar family back to the National Assembly seat. In the 2024 general election, Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar won NA-168 for the PML-N with 124,529 votes.
The family also has a foothold in provincial politics. The PML-N had given a National Assembly ticket to Iqbal Channar and a Punjab Assembly ticket to his son Zaheer Iqbal Channar.
Munir Iqbal previously served as deputy mayor of the Bahawalpur Municipal Corporation before getting the party ticket for this by-election.
A Two-Way Contest
The NA-168 by-election largely came down to Munir Iqbal and Wali Dad Cheema, son of former federal minister Tariq Bashir Cheema. The Pakistan Peoples Party pulled its candidate out during the campaign and announced support for the PML-N nominee.
