Death toll from boat mishap in Indus River rises to 50, 28 still missing

The death toll from Monday’s wedding party boat mishap in Indus River has risen to 23, officials said.

The overloaded boat was heading to a wedding when it capsized in the Indus river in the district of Sadiqabad, the government said in a statement.

Nearly 90 people were rescued by divers, the statement said, adding that the passengers were mostly women and children.

All those on board belonged to one clan, and they were on their way to a family wedding across the river, it said.

Nearly 35 divers from a state-run rescue service took part in an operation to find and save more people who were in the river, the statement said.

A search and rescue operation is underway to locate the missing.

According to the police, two boats carrying a wedding party of around 150 people were coming from Rojhan to Machhka, and one of them overturned.

According to media reports, Hussain Kala's wedding convoy, who belonged to the Solangi community, was travelling to Sardarpur from Machhka in Kharorwali's Rojhan tehsil. The Rescue 1122 divers and district administration officials reached the site and with the help of locals rescued several passengers and retrieved the bodies of others.

So far, the bodies of 18-year-old Shabana, 22-year-old Hamidan, and 14-year-old Allah Dani have been identified, while the rescued include Muhammad Akram, Muhammad Ramazan, Luqman, and Muhammad Amin.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has also expressed his deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives.

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Death toll from boat mishap in Indus River rises to 50, 28 still missing

The death toll from Monday’s wedding party boat mishap in Indus River has risen to 23, officials said.

The overloaded boat was heading to a wedding when it capsized in the Indus river in the district of Sadiqabad, the government said in a statement.

Nearly 90 people were rescued by divers, the statement said, adding that the passengers were mostly women and children.

All those on board belonged to one clan, and they were on their way to a family wedding across the river, it said.

Nearly 35 divers from a state-run rescue service took part in an operation to find and save more people who were in the river, the statement said.

A search and rescue operation is underway to locate the missing.

According to the police, two boats carrying a wedding party of around 150 people were coming from Rojhan to Machhka, and one of them overturned.

According to media reports, Hussain Kala's wedding convoy, who belonged to the Solangi community, was travelling to Sardarpur from Machhka in Kharorwali's Rojhan tehsil. The Rescue 1122 divers and district administration officials reached the site and with the help of locals rescued several passengers and retrieved the bodies of others.

So far, the bodies of 18-year-old Shabana, 22-year-old Hamidan, and 14-year-old Allah Dani have been identified, while the rescued include Muhammad Akram, Muhammad Ramazan, Luqman, and Muhammad Amin.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has also expressed his deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives.

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PTI sweeps high-stakes Punjab by-polls, wins 15 seats

Celebrations in the PTI camp were in full swing on Sunday night as preliminary, unofficial results in the by-election on 20 constituencies of Punjab, showed the party has decimated its rival, the PML-N, in the contest to snatch back control of the province.

In a recount of votes for the Punjab chief minister election on July 22, in accordance with the Lahore High Court order, the PTI is now poised to win, in effect removing PML-N's Hamza Shahbaz from office.

According to the unofficial final count from Sunday's polls, the PTI won 15 seats, while the PML-N managed to clinch victory in only four, and an independent candidate grabbed one.

The PML-N was gracious in defeat, with party vice president Maryam Nawaz saying the party should accept the results "wholeheartedly" and "bow before the people's choice".

The PTI thanked Punjab and lauded the people for their "bravery".

"With this historic win you have told the world we are a self-respecting nation. Now whatever the Pakistani people decide, will happen. No foreign power has the right to decide our fate," a message from the party's official Twitter account said.

 

Late night Rawalpindi tussle

Past midnight, a tussle to claim victory for PP 7 Rawalpindi II took place between PML-N and PTI.

Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb claimed that PML-N has won the constituency and that PTI workers are "threatening and harrassing" the returning officer.

"PTI leaders have forced their way into the returning officer's office and with bullying, threats and thuggery are trying to put him under pressure, which is condemnable. PTI must not make a transparent election controversial," she wrote.

Her tweet came in response to one by PTI's Asad Umar who claimed the results for the constituency are "being withheld".

He urged party workers to remain at the polling station until they get the result.

Later, unofficial results showed that the PML-N has won the seat by a narrow margin of 49 votes, with Raja Sageer Ahmed landing 68,906 votes as opposed to PTI's Muhammad Shabir Awan who got 68,857.

 

PTI's victories

Among notable wins was PTI's Makhdoom Zain Hussain Qureshi, son of former foreign minister and party vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, defeating PML-N's Muhammad Salman in PP-217 Multan VII.

The Form 47 — the consolidated return to the Election Commission of Pakistan of a constituency's provisional results — showed that Qureshi secured 47,349 votes as against Salman, who bagged 40,429.

The party also emerged victorious in:

PP-288 Dera Ghazi Khan IV

PP-202 Sahiwal VII

PP-83 Khushab II

PP-140 Sheikhupura VI

PP-282 Layyah III

PP-224 Lodhran I

PP-158 Lahore XV

PP-167 Lahore XXIV

PP-170 Lahore XXVII

PP-97 Faisalabad I

PP-90 Bhakkar II

PP-127 Jhang IV

PP-224 Lodhran I

PP-272 Muzaffargarh V

 

PML-N's wins

It wasn't a clean sweep for PTI in Lahore, with PML-N winning the PP-168 Lahore XXV constituency.

PML-N also won PP-237 Bhawalnagar I, PP-273 Muzaffargarh VI, and  PP-7 Rawalpindi II.

Independent gets one

Meanwhile, independent candidate Syed Muhammad Rafi ud Din won PP-228 Lodhran V, with 45,020 votes as against PTI candidate Izzat Javaid Khan, who bagged 38,338.

 

How the day fared

Today's polls remained largely peaceful aside from a few reports of clashes between supporters of opposing parties. No casualties were reported.

 Other kinds of drama, however, stole the limelight. This included an early morning resignation, a number of arrests, including that of PTI leader Shahbaz Gill, and a leaked audio allegedly implicating the former interior minister.

Voter turnout was not as large as the parties hoped but was considerable, said by Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah to be 40%.

 

The fights

A scuffle broke out between PTI and PML-N workers during the polling process in Lahore's PP-158 constituency. As a result, one of the PML-N workers sustained a head injury.

Meanwhile, PML-N candidate Rana Ahsan Sharafat engaged in a heated argument with PTI leader Jamshed Iqbal Cheema.

 

The arrests

PTI workers were arrested in Lahore when they were found to have been carrying weapons, according to Punjab government spokesperson Attaullah Tarar.

PTI's Shahbaz Gill was arrested in Muzaffargarh for allegedly visiting different polling stations in the city with his security guards who were dressed in uniform identical to those of Frontier Constabulary personnel and carrying weapons.

A ban was placed against the carrying of arms ahead of the polls.

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IK reiterates call for fresh polls as PTI celebrates victory

Following PTI’s “landslide victory” in the hotly-contested Punjab by-polls on Sunday, party chairman Imran Khan said the only way forward was “free and fair elections.”

A battle for the throne of Punjab was fought as voting was held on 20 seats across the province, where PTI managed to grab more votes compared to the PML-N, who has been in power for a very long time.

As results started pouring in, Khan took to his Twitter to reiterate his demand for early elections. “The only way forward from here is to hold fair [and] free elections under a credible ECP.”

 “Any other path will only lead to greater political uncertainty [and] further economic chaos,” he added.

Celebrations in the PTI camp are in full swing as preliminary, unofficial results in the by-election of Punjab show the party clearly dominating the race.

Meanwhile, PML-N conceded defeat as leaders accepted that PTI had received a “landslide victory” in the hotly-contested Punjab by-polls.

A charged PTI saw a "change in Pakistan" after the party secured victory in nine constituencies — PP-217, PP-288, PP-282, PP-83, PP-158, PP-202, PP-224, PP-167, and PP-170 — while it is leading in nearly several others.

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PML-N should accept results with an open heart: Maryam

PML-N conceded defeat Sunday in the crucial Punjab by-elections after the PTI took the lead in the majority of the 20 provincial assembly constituencies which were up for grabs.

As the unofficial results started pouring in, showing the PTI in the lead, the party's vice president Maryam Nawaz took to Twitter and said that the defeat should be accepted with an open heart.

"The PML-N should accept the results of the by-polls with an open heart and concede to the decision of the masses," Maryam wrote.

She added that winning and losing were part of politics, therefore, the party should now focus on its weaknesses, identify them, and then overcome them.

"God willing, everything will be fine," she said.

Similarly, PML-N’s senior leader Malik Mohammad Ahmed Khan also accepted that PTI had received a “landslide victory” in the hotly-contested Punjab by-polls.

 “I accept that PTI has won and the party wholeheartedly accepts the opinion of the public," he said.

He further added that everybody can get into the debate of how and what happened, but “apparently the situation right now shows that PTI has won the elections; therefore, we congratulate them and accept our defeat.”

Replying to a question regarding PML-N’s strategy for the election for the position of Chief Minister Punjab, scheduled to be held on July 22, Khan said: “I spoke to Hamza Shahbaz and he was of the view that people have expressed their choice, so we need to acknowledge it."

 “Last time the situation was different as there were divisions among the party but this time, it is all about the public and now we will assess where we went wrong,” he said, adding he considered these by-polls as snap-elections.

Lamenting that the party lost three major seats in Lahore, he said that now there was no reason for the party to stick to their electioneering campaign.

 “This is a difficult situation for us [PML-N] as we have lost elections in Punjab, where we've always had a stronghold, and our government in federal is a coalition setup with thin numbers,” he maintained.

Khan further added that when parties consider public opinion, then power becomes secondary and people’s choice becomes the top priority.

Replying to a question regarding the chances of early elections, he accepted that the results show PML-N has lost the hold of Punjab, while for the federal government, he refrained from commenting as decisions are taken after consultations from all coalition parties.

 “The government of Punjab will now inevitably be formed by the PTI,” he said, adding that all political parties should now strengthen their positions.

The MP stated that the party plans go into the next elections under a coordinated strategy, citing the inclusion of PTI dissidents into the party as one of the major reasons behind our defeat.

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Hours before Punjab by-elections, PML-N’s Sheikhupura MPA resigns

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MPA from Sheikhuoura Mian Jaleel Ahmed Sharaqpuri has resigned from his seat.

Sharaqpuri, who was elected on PML-N’s ticket from PP-139 Shikhupura, tendered his resignation on Saturday after a meeting with Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi.

The resignation was immediately accepted by the speaker.

Talking to media, Sharaqpuri said how he could work with PM Shehbaz Sharif when the prime minister who is in cohort with proclaimed offenders.

He said that he was always a supporter of former PM Imran Khan’s vision. Sharaqpuri said he took the decision to resign after consulting with the workers of the constituency. I have resigned for an ideology, he said.

Last month, Sharaqpuri announced his return to the party after a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz.

He told reporters that he met Hamza Shehbaz on his wish. SHaraqpuri said he had told Hamza he had no issue with the party leadership.

This was before the Supreme Court ordered re-election of Punjab Chief Minister.

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PM Shehbaz urges people to reject politics of divide, hatred through power of vote

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has urged the people to reject the politics of divide, hatred, and chaos through the power of their vote.

In a series of tweets today (Sunday), he said the ego, incompetence and way of politics of an individual have ruined the beauty of Pakistani society. Expressing full confidence in people's choice, he said they should vote for national development and bright future of their children.

پنجاب کےضمنی انتخابات میں اپنا ووٹ ڈالتےہوئے عمران نیازی حکومت کےپونے 4سالہ سیاہ دورکی کرپشن،نا اہلی،معاشی تباہی،مافیہ کی سہولت کاری و سرپرستی اورتبدیلی کےنام پر برپا کی گئی تباہی کےبارے ضرور سوچیئےگا. پاکستان PTI کےدور میں اپنی منزل سےدور ہوگیا،اسکا اظہار آپ نےاپنے ووٹ سےکرناہے

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) July 17, 2022

Shehbaz Sharif said Punjab was made an example of the worst kind of governance over the last four years. Citizens and students were deprived of free medicines and scholarships. He said there was an open sale of government jobs, postings and transfers. Civic facilities were in shamble and lawlessness was at its peak. He said the bad condition of Punjab was not less than an insult to the people of the province.

The Prime Minister said the people while casting votes in Punjab's by-elections must think about the corruption, incompetence, economic destruction and patronage of the mafia committed in the name of change during Imran Niazi's black era of four years. He said Pakistan drifted away from its goal during the PTI regime and you can express this through your vote.

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