Kulsoom Sharif, wife of ousted Pakistani premier, wins by-election

Kulsoom Sharif, the wife of ousted Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif, on Sunday captured his parliamentary seat with a reduced majority in a by-election seen as a test of support for the Sharif dynasty ahead of the 2018 general election.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan ended Nawaz's tenure as prime minister and banned him from holding public office in July following an investigation into corruption allegations against him and his family, triggering the by-election for his Lahore seat.

Their daughter Maryam led the election campaign on behalf of Kulsoom, the candidate, who is being treated for throat cancer in London. The seat has long been controlled by Sharif and his allies, but the by-election was seen as a test of the popularity of his party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

Maryam said Kulsoom won despite Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party workers being threatened and kidnapped. Although she did not name anyone, PML-N sources said she was referring to alleged intimidation by parts of Pakistan's powerful military.

The military could not be reached for comment.

"This is not an ordinary victory," Maryam said in a speech to jubilant PML-N supporters. "You have defeated not only people who were in the field but also those who are invisible."

The main opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party made gains but alleged voter irregularities in the eastern city of Lahore, the electoral heartlands of the Sharif family since 1980s.

Official results are yet to be announced but party officials who also tallied the numbers say Kulsoom, who did not campaign as she is receiving treatment for cancer in London, scooped about 53.5 percent of the vote, with the party's majority reduced from about 61 percent in the 2013 general election.