- Says democracy hinges on supremacy of law and fair conduct of elections
- Terms present setup detrimental to future of Pakistan
RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Tuesday asserted that the by-elections in Punjab were pre-planned and rigged with heavy hand, accusing the Punjab Police of indulging in ‘dirty tactics’ to give the ruling party victory.
Unlike the general elections, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has almost sweep the recently held by-elections, winning two out of five National and 10 out of 12 Punjab Assembly seats.
Unofficial results showed that the ruling party secured majority of seats of the national and provincial assemblies contested on Sunday.
During a media interaction at Adiala Jail, Khan pointed out that democracy hinged on the supremacy of law and the conduct of free and fair elections. “Yet what we witnessed was jungle law as the interference of the police in the Punjab by-elections is deeply concerning,” he remarked.
He criticized the prevailing governance in Punjab, accusing the police of meddling in the by-elections, comparing it with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where he claimed, the elections were free from any police interference or rigging.
He lamented the state of democracy in the country, alleging that elections from October to February were orchestrated solely to weaken PTI. Khan further expressed disappointment with the Supreme Court for not addressing PTI’s petitions which were waiting for the demise of PTI.
Highlighting PTI’s challenges, Khan said that every tactic was employed to obliterate PTI’s presence, emphasizing the PTI had anticipated and prepared for the Punjab elections in advance.
Khan further commented on the current state of affairs in Pakistan, mentioning that the country’s present setup was detrimental to its future. He revealed that no offers or messages regarding any deals were extended to him.
Questioning the timing of discussions, he wondered what could be negotiated when public sentiment was clearly against him. He posed the question, “Can anyone win when the public stands united against them?”
Touching upon the judiciary, Khan noted the trust of people over judiciary being decreased and lamented the deprivation of their fundamental right to choose their representatives. He cited personal hardships, mentioning his wife being imprisoned despite having no political affiliations, and cases being filed against his three sisters, who have no political involvement.
On international relations, Khan mentioned that Pakistan had good ties with Saudi Arabia, which was why an OIC Foreign Ministers’ Conference was held during his tenure.
