The prime minister’s spokesman Monday admitted that prevailing local issues in some constituencies impacted the outcome of the recently held by-elections. Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Media Iftikhar Durrani told a private TV channel that Imran Khan held a consultative meeting with party leaders earlier in the day where by-elections, government affairs and the country’s economic situation were discussed among several other matters. Issues on local level in some of the constituencies where the by-elections were held on Sunday impacted the results, he said. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, however, secured 1,037,000 votes, the most out of all the parties, he pointed out. Durrani assured that the PTI government will take the economic reforms agenda forward, adding that the prime minister’s priority is to provide relief to the poor. Published in Daily Times, October 16th 2018.