In a strong reaction after the Sambrial by-election, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has dismissed the results, calling them fake and manipulated. The party claims that the vote was full of fraud, pressure tactics, and illegal interference.
PTI leaders, speaking to reporters, said their supporters were stopped, polling agents were not allowed to enter some stations, and that people were threatened not to vote for PTI. “It wasn’t an election. It was more like a controlled event,” one of the party workers said outside a polling station.
According to the official result, the PML-N candidate secured the seat with a narrow lead. But PTI refuses to accept it, saying they have proof of irregularities in multiple areas. Some video clips on social media show fights at polling booths and people being pushed away — which PTI says are signs of organized rigging.
The party now wants the Election Commission to declare the results void and hold fresh elections, this time under neutral supervision. They also hinted they will go to court if their demand is ignored.
Hammad Azhar, a senior PTI leader, said the system has been hijacked. “We will not sit quietly. This is not about one seat. It’s about the future of elections in this country,” he said during a press talk.
Meanwhile, the ruling PML-N has denied the accusations. They say the election was held fairly and that PTI is only making noise because they lost. A PML-N spokesperson said, “If they had won, they wouldn’t be complaining.”
This by-election was being seen as a temperature check before the next general elections. With tensions rising and political blame games returning, Sambrial may have just become a symbol of how contested every vote will be in the coming months.
The Election Commission hasn’t responded yet to the complaints, but pressure is building. What happens next could set the tone for future contests.
