Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has warned the ‘state institutions’ that the public will not be “in control” if the election for Punjab chief minister is manipulated.
“Don’t think for one moment that the people will sit idle in case of manipulation of the polls,” he said while addressing his supporters via video link on Thursday.
“I want to make it clear that the PTI will not tolerate theft of the public’s vote with their own money,” he added.
The former prime minister accused his rival political parties of using money to buy loyalties ahead of the crucial poll.
According to him, attempts are also being made to intimidate PTI’s lawmakers to keep them away from the election.
He went on to say that every tactic is used to make sure that the PTI is defeated in the Punjab by-polls.
The ousted premier also came down hard on the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), saying he doesn’t have any faith in the current chief election commissioner. “We won’t run for the next general elections with this man as the chief election commissioner.”
He ruled out any possibility of transparent elections with the current CEC in the chair.
Imran also criticised the ECP for postponing by-elections and local bodies polls in Sindh “over a mere excuse of rains”.
He also took the top electoral watchdog to task for its opposition to the electronic voting machines, saying it opposed the move more than the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).
Poised to dethrone Hamza Shehbaz as Punjab’s chief executive after conquering the ‘citadel’ of the Sharifs, the top leadership of both the PTI and the PML-Q have instructed their lawmakers to stay in the provincial capital and not leave it till July 22 – the date for the run-off election for the office as ordered by the Supreme Court.
The parties have also directed their members of the provincial assembly to show up on a fateful day without fail.
