ABBOTTABAD- Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won the seat of PK-45 Abbottabad II, where Sardar Fareed Ahmed trounced Ali Asghar Khan of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the by-election with a huge margin.
According to unofficial results from 109 polling stations, Farid secured 27682 votes to win the seat in the provincial assembly. The Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf lost the seat as its candidate Ali Asghar bagged 21227 votes. The supporters of the Sardar Fareed celebrated the win by aerial firing. On this occasion, Sardar Fareed resolved to continue development work in the constituency. Earlier, the voting, which saw a huge turnout in the day, concluded not so very peacefully here.
Though, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), district administration, and police made strict security arrangements across the constituency, the polling was suspended for some time after scuffles broke out between the PML-N and PTI supporters.
Seven candidates, including Jamaat-e-Islami's Saeed Abbassi, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl's Akram Abbasi , Pakistan People's Party's Manzoor Mumtaz, PPP-Shaheed Bhutto's Changez Abbasi, PML-N's Sardar Fareed Ahmed Khan Abbassi, and PTI's Ali Asghar Khan contested this seat. The PK-45 fell vacant after Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan resigned as MPA to take over as the Governor of Khyber Pakthunkhwa.
The PML-N has a strong vote bank in this constituency as KP Governor Sardar Mehtab and his family members won this seat during the last six elections. Mehtab retained this seat by defeating the PTI's candidate with a 12,000 vote margin in 2013 general election.