Significant improvements in the enforcement of legal and codal restrictions on the election day campaigning, display of arms and use of loudspeakers characterized the by-election in PS-9 (Shikarpur-III) held on December 14, 2025. Although the polling day remained peaceful and orderly, gaps continued to persist in voter facilitation and transparency of counting processes at the polling stations, indicating at the need for greater investment in staff training and preparations.

A total of 277,792 voters, 14,110 more than the 263,682 voters in GE-2024, were eligible to vote in the by-election. As in most recent by-elections, there was a considerable decline in voter turnout, from 39 percent in the general elections to 32 percent in the by-elections. Voter turnout declined for both men and women. Men’s participation dropped from 40 percent in GE-2024 to 31 percent, while women’s turnout declined from 38 percent to 33 percent. Consequently, the women’s turnout exceeded the men’s by two percentage points.

In terms of results, despite the lower voter participation, the winning margin widened sharply as the gap between the winner and the runner-up grew from 38,126 votes in GE-2024 to 63,475 votes in the by-election. The Provisional Consolidated Statement of Results of the Count, Form-47, was completed at approximately 12:01 am, well within the legal deadline of 2:00 am.

This by-election was necessitated due to the death of Mr. Agha Siraj Durrani, a PPPP legislator. Nine candidates, all men, contested the by-election. Of these, six ran as independents and three were backed by political parties. This marks a slight drop from GE-2024, when ten male candidates contested for the seat. For the by-election, one independent candidate failed to meet a legal requirement and withdrew at the last moment. Despite his withdrawal, he received 117 votes in the election.

The ECP has set up 178 polling stations for the by-election. These included 80 combined polling stations and 49 each for men and women. The total number matches the arrangements made for GE-2024. The only change was in the mix, as GE-2024 had 76 combined stations and 51 each for men and women.

Of the 178 polling stations, 139 crossed the legal limit of 1,200 voters per polling station. This means that approximately 78 percent of all polling stations exceeded the voter limit. The average load was 1,560 voters per polling station. These figures show a strong need to increase the number of polling stations or spread voters more evenly so that each polling station remains within the permitted range.

FAFEN deployed seven male election-day observers to observe the voting and counting processes at 27 polling stations across the constituency. No observer was barred, indicating open access. The observers were trained on the Elections Act of 2017 and the codes of conduct of relevant stakeholders to observe the proceedings effectively and independently.

The observers were also provided with standardized checklists to record their observations. At the first polling station, they were tasked with observing the processes preceding the start of polling; at the second and third, they observed the voting processes; and at their fourth polling station, in addition to the voting process, they observed the closing and counting processes. FAFEN observers were not allowed to ask voters about their voting choices inside or outside polling stations, as it is strictly prohibited under the ECP’s Code of Conduct for Observers and Section 178 (b) of the Elections Act 2017.

This report is based on observations received on Election Day from 27 polling stations, including 13 combined and seven each for male and female polling stations, obtained by observers.

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