Lahore, November 24, 2025: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Monday dismissed Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) assertion that it boycotted the November 23 by-elections, insisting the party fully participated in all 13 constituencies.
Addressing a meeting of provincial ministers, the chief minister said PTI candidates actively campaigned, set up polling camps, used photos of their incarcerated leader Imran Khan, and contested under his prison identification number. “This was not a boycott. I have not seen such hypocrisy in my entire life,” she said.
Elections were held on six National Assembly and seven Punjab Assembly seats. The PML-N fielded candidates on all seats except one in Muzaffargarh and secured victory on 12 of them. The PPP contested three seats and won the provincial seat in Muzaffargarh, while the PTI failed to win either of the National Assembly seats in Lahore or Haripur.
Maryam claimed the PTI used a strategy whereby it would claim popular support “despite a boycott” if it won, and attribute any defeats to the same boycott call. “This is a drama,” she remarked.
She criticised the PTI’s “politics of narrative,” arguing that political narratives have a limited shelf life and that “politicians do not opt out of democratic processes,” even under adverse conditions.
Reflecting on the 2018 general elections, Maryam said the PML-N had contested despite the imprisonment of the party’s top leadership. “We did not boycott the elections. We contested even in the worst circumstances,” she said, calling that year’s polls the most difficult in the party’s history.
The chief minister further said that individuals involved in “breaking laws” and “taking up militancy” could not call themselves a political party, referring to the May 9, 2023 unrest.
Maryam concluded that the increased voter turnout for the PML-N reflected a shift of support from the PTI. “The public accepted service, endorsed Nawaz Sharif’s ideology, and buried the politics of lies, hypocrisy and conspiracy forever,” she said.
