Pak Interior Minister blames inflation for ruling PML-N party's defeat in by-elections

Islamabad: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, a key leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, on Monday blamed inflation as the main reason for his party’s dismal performance in the key by-elections.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party led by former prime minister Imran Khan on Monday swept the crucial by-elections, winning six out of eight National Assembly seats and two out of three provincial assembly seats in Punjab, in a jolt to the Shehbaz Sharif government.

Sanaullah in a press conference responded to the dismal performance of his party in Sunday's elections when the PML-N could win only one provincial assembly seat out of the 11 seats up for grabs.

Sanaulla said that the people had hoped that his party would control inflation after coming to power in April when Imran Khan was removed through a no-confidence vote.

“However, we could not fulfill those expectations,” the minister candidly said.

He said that the PML-N had won a majority of by-elections when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party was in power and added that “inflation was the key reason at that time as well”.

However, he also blamed the floods for the failure of the government to deliver on its promises and said the government would have overcome the crisis of inflation if it floods had not happened.