Difficult decisions' taken by Pak govt led to PML-N defeat in Punjab polls: Nawaz Sharif

Lahore [Pakistan], July 18 (ANI): Following Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) remarkable win against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the Punjab Assembly elections, former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif blamed the "difficult decisions" taken by the government for the failure and said his party respects public opinion.
"We respect public opinion," sources quoted the PML-N leader as saying.
"PML-N should accept results with an open heart," he said further.
According to Geo News, Nawaz Sharif discussed PML-N's future strategy with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Hamza and also directed the party leaders to convene an emergency meeting of PML-N.
Earlier, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz also took to her Twitter handle saying that the defeat should be accepted with an open heart after the unofficial results started pouring in, showing the PTI in the lead.
"The PML-N should accept the results of the bypolls with an open heart and concede to the decision of the masses," Maryam wrote, adding that winning and losing was 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.
As per the preliminary and unofficial results, PTI has won the Punjab bypolls, emerging victorious on 15 seats out of 20, while the ruling PML-N suffered a bitter defeat managing to get only four seats. However, on the other hand Nawaz stated that his party paid the price of "difficult decisions" taken by the coalition government, Geo News reported citing the sources.
Punjab was under the control of PTI until April when then Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar resigned after the federal parliament took up a no-confidence against Khan. The PTI's subsequent nominee for the position was defeated as a faction among the party's state lawmakers voted for the PML-N's candidate instead.

Khan then successfully petitioned the Election Commission of Pakistan to remove the state assembly lawmakers for illegally voting against the party's directive, leaving 20 seats vacant.
The polling began at 8 am and continued till 5 pm but in several districts, polling was stopped due to clashes.
20 seats fell vacant after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) "de-seated" 25 PTI dissident lawmakers on May 23 for voting against PML-N's Hamza Shahbaz in the Punjab chief minister's election. (ANI)