JHANG: Former prime minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said that they are attempting to protect the state against ‘slaves of the US’, as he urged voters and supporters in the constituency to stand guard against alleged poll rigging in the upcoming Punjab byelections.
He said this while addressing a political rally in Jhang on Wednesday evening.
He started off his speech by telling his supporters that they had to go back to the polls because their candidate from this constituency had sold his conscience and become a turncoat.
He reiterated his rhetoric that the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had been planning to rig the upcoming polls and that they had co-opted the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and a ‘Mr. X’ in Lahore and his accomplice, ‘Mr. Y’, in Multan who are allegedly attempting to rig the elections.
The former prime minister said that during his tenure, he had tried to introduce electronic voting systems in the country to eradicate rigging.
“The chief election commissioner also did not allow us to introduce electronic voting machines,” he said, alleging collusion.
He added that the powers that be wanted to retain a system of electoral rigging in the country.
However, the ex-premier said they would win the bypolls in Punjab – scheduled on Sunday – despite that all forces have gathered against his party.
He told the people, especially youngsters, to come out on the election day for casting their votes as it would mar all plans of rigging.
PTI chairman said that it was reprehensible that with only days to go in bypolls, they were looking for ways to stop rigging in the bypolls in a country that was formed on the basis of Islam.
He added that the local government elections in Sindh were rigged to a level that even the government’s coalition partners including MQM-P and JUI-F called it out, claiming that the election commissioner of Sindh takes money from the Sindh government.
He said Yousaf Raza Gillani’s son – who is a national lawmaker – was caught red-handed ahead of the Senate election while the chief election commissioner lent a deaf ear to the Supreme Court’s order regarding the identification of vote.
The former prime minister said the nations progress not because of the resources but because of the moral standards as he recalled how – after reaching Motorway today – he witnessed the photos of two convicts including Maryam Nawaz and Nawaz Sharif.
