Initial results in Pakistan's general elections, marred by low voters' turn-out, today went against President Pervez Musharraf with three of his former ministers losing while opposition PPP and PML-N winning in their strongholds.PML-Q leader Shujaat Hussain, who was Prime Minister under Musharraf, was deafeted by his PPP rival Choudhry Ahmed Mukhtar in the national assembly constituency in Punjab province.Musharraf's confidante and high-profile former minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, also of PML-Q, lost to PML-N leader Makhdoom Javed in a prestigious Rawalpindi constituency.Rasheed, a seven-time winner from his constituency and a former railway minister in the Musharraf government, is also constesting for another Rawalpindi seat.Zubaida Jalal, a former minister in Musharraf's cabinet, was defeated as an independent candidate for the National Assembly from Kech-Gwadar in southwestern Balochistan province by Yaqub Bizenjo of Balochistan National Party-Awami.She was the education minister during 1999-2001.Initial trends showed Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of its slain leader Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif's PML(N) doing well in their respective strongholds Sindh and Punjab respectively while Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) was faring well in Karachi as counting of votes was underway.
