As many as 4,674,545 voters cast their ballots in favour of members of religious parties in the contesting for 2018 elections, according to results announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). Representatives of religious parties received the highest number of votes from Punjab -with 1,859,198 ballots were cast for them in National Assembly constituencies from NA-55 to NA-195. The second highest number of votes for candidates of religious parties were cast in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A total 1,347,367 voters opted for religious party ticket holders for NA seats in the province. Meanwhile in Sindh, 1,124,047 votes and in Balochistan 304,129 votes, respectively, were cast in favour of religious party candidates on NA seats. Religious parties’ representatives received 39,804 votes from three Islamabad constituencies – NA-52, NA-53 and NA-54. The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, an alliance of religious political parties, secured 12 National Assembly seats in the July 25 polls. Published in Daily Times, July 29th 2018.