DERA GHAZI KHAN: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Usama Abdul Karim has been declared elected unopposed from PP-289 Dera Ghazi Khan-IV, according to the official Return of Uncontested Election (Form-34).
Read More: PML–N’s Karim wins PP–289 by-polls unopposed
The returning officer (RO) announced on Friday that only one valid nomination paper remained for the constituency after scrutiny and withdrawals, leaving no contest. Consequently, Usama Abdul Karim was declared elected without polling. The notification was duly issued and signed by the RO.
مسلم لیگ (ن) کے نامزد امیدوار اسامہ عبدالکریم بلامقابلہ ممبر پنجاب اسمبلی منتخب pic.twitter.com/dizfdjhDXa
— PMLN Punjab (@PMLNPunjabPk) January 2, 2026
The development followed the withdrawal of all rival candidates. Ten contenders, including former chief minister Dost Muhammad Khosa and his son, had already withdrawn from the race earlier in the process.
The final withdrawal came after the allotment of election symbols, when Muslim League-Jinnah candidate Muhammad Ibad Sadozai retired from the contest under Section 65 of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) rules late Thursday night. Under the law, a candidate who retires under Section 65 is excluded from the electoral process.
As per ECP rules, if only one candidate remains in the field after withdrawals, the RO completes proceedings for an uncontested election by issuing Form-34, formally declaring the sole remaining candidate elected unopposed.
Read More: Yasmin Rashid vows legal fight over NA-130 ruling
The by-election in PP-289 was originally scheduled to be held on January 25. However, by the last date for withdrawal of nomination papers, nine out of eleven candidates had stepped aside. On January 1, the RO had issued Form-33 showing that only two candidates — Usama Abdul Karim (PML-N) and Ibad Khan (Muslim League-Jinnah) — were still in the race. With Ibad Khan’s subsequent withdrawal, the contest came to an end.
Usama Abdul Karim is the son of PML-N Senator Hafiz Abdul Karim and is also an active leader of the party’s youth wing.