The party of former Pakistani cricket hero Imran Khan secured victory in a repeat election held in one constituency of violence-plagued Karachi, election officials said Monday.

Voting was held under tight security in 43 polling stations on Sunday, a day after a senior official of Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party was shot dead outside her home in the city.

Polling was re-run after complaints of ballot-stuffing in the upmarket district of the vast port city, Pakistan's economic engine, during the May 11 general election.

The PTI's Arif Alvi secured 77,659 votes to beat his closest rival Khushbakht Shujaat of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) who polled 30,365 votes, election commission spokesman Najib Ahmed said giving the unofficial results.

Troops, police and paramilitary rangers backed up by armored personnel carriers guarded polling stations in the NA-250 constituency after PTI provincial vice-president Zahra Shahid Hussain was killed on Saturday night.

Her death followed a bloody election campaign marked by more than 150 killings since mid-April.

The outcome was not a surprise as the MQM boycotted Sunday's partial polls after its demand for re-polling in the entire constituency was rejected by the election commission.

"Our victory in Karachi marks a new era of peace, tolerance," Alvi said.

"The people have shown their strong will for a change in the political landscape of this city, which is the backbone of the country in all terms."

AFP