LAHORE, July 21 -- Hafiz Abdul Karim, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate, won the Senate by-election from Punjab on Monday by securing 243 votes, defeating his main rival, Mehr Abdul Sattar, who was backed by the opposition and received 99 votes.

The election was held to fill the Senate seat left vacant after the passing of Professor Sajid Mir, the late chief of Central Jamiat Ahle Hadees Pakistan, who was known for his long-standing role in religious and parliamentary politics.

Out of 368 total votes in the Punjab Assembly, 345 were polled, while 3 votes were rejected due to technical discrepancies. Voting was held from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Punjab Assembly, which had been declared the official polling statio...