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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

By-election seen as test of support for Sharif

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LAHORE: Pakistanis cast votes on Sunday for the parliamentary seat vacated by ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, in a by-election seen as a test of support for the Sharif dynasty ahead of the 2018 general election.


Sharif’s ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party hopes a resounding victory in the eastern city of Lahore would show that support for the family was undiminished despite the Supreme Court’s removal of Sharif in July.


Sharif’s daughter Maryam has spearheaded the PML-N campaign for her mother Kulsoom — who is the MPL-N candidate despite receiving cancer treatment in London with Nawaz at her side.


Maryam, who some PML-N leaders see as a future leader, has framed the poll as a chance for voters to give a bloody nose to the judiciary by handing the party a thumping victory.


“Will you take revenge for your disrespected vote?” Maryam asked supporters at a recent rally.


Opposition leader Imran Khan is seeking to build on the success of his anti-graft crusade by making inroads into Sharifs’ power base in Punjab. — Reuters


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