Nawaz Sharif's wife wins Lahore by-poll

A Pakistani minister says the wife of ousted Pakistani premier Nawaz Sharif has won his parliament seat which fell vacant after the country's Supreme Court disqualified him for concealing assets, according to unofficial results.

Climate Change minister Mushahid Ullah Khan says Kulsoom Nawaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League party won the crucial by-election Sunday by securing 61,254 votes for the seat for the eastern city of Lahore. She defeated key rival Tahreek-e-Insaf party's candidate Dr. Yasmin Rashid.

Rashid conceded defeat while talking to reporters and supporters.

Sharif's ailing wife secured the seat in absentia, as she is undergoing treatment in London for throat cancer.

In a televised address, Sharif's daughter Maryam, surrounded by jubilant supporters, said the win proved people's love for Sharif and rejected his disqualification.

Source: AP