Pakistan's ruling party consolidates grip on power

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's party has consolidated its hold on power, results fromby-elections released on Friday showed, cementing its ability topush through unpopular reforms aimed at kick-starting thestagnating economy.

Sharif began a third term as premier after the PakistanMuslim League-Nawaz party won a landslide victory in nationalpolls in May. He has since been attempting to stamp hisauthority on a nation long plagued by instability and violence.

The results showed his party won at least another five seatsin the 15 by-elections held on Thursday, reinforcing itscomfortable majority with at least 189 seats in the 342-seat National Assembly.

The by-elections on Thursday were held in seats that wereforced to annul results from the May vote because of violence orbecause candidates had since vacated their seats, among otherreasons.

The populist Pakistan Peoples' Party, which held power forfive years before Sharif's victory, won 3 three seats, withcorruption a lingering concern among voters.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, led by former cricket start ImranKhan, also won two seats after promising to crack down on graft.

The secular Awami National Party, which has frequently beenattacked by the Taliban in their stronghold in Pakistan's oftenlawless northwest, also won one seat.

Turnout from the polling was generally lower than the Mayvote, Pakistani media reported, and several areas reportedproblems.

In Peshawar, the High Court intervened to stop vote countingin two areas and ordered polls to be held again amid reportsthat elders had prevented women from voting.

Another poll was postponed amid security fears in the townof Dera Ismail Khan, where a militant raid on a jail freed 250prisoners last month.

In the financial centre of Karachi, a roadside bomb aimed ata military vehicle on election duty on Thursday killed a soldierand a civilian, as well as wounding 20 people, said SeeminJamali, a doctor from the Jinnah medical centre.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack,saying it was their response to the government's offer of peacetalks if the militants put down their arms.

"We wanted to convey a message to ... Nawaz Sharif that wewould never lay down arms for the sake of meaningless talks andtoday's attack was to prove that we can strike wherever wewish," Taliban spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said.