LAHORE: A day after firing a salvo against MQM chief Altaf Hussain, PTI Chairman Imran Khan urged Karachiites to participate in his party’s protest on Monday against the killing of Zahra Shahid Hussain.

“I salute the courage of the people of Karachi who have been held hostage for long by a [political] party. People of Karachi are being held in chains of fear and I urge them to come out and break these shackles,” Imran said in a video message from Shaukat Khanam Hospital in Lahore on Sunday.

He urged other political parties, “who are sick of tyranny”, to join the protest.

Imran also called upon Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary and Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim to take notice of ‘massive and unprecedented’ rigging in the elections.

“No democracy can thrive without free and fair elections. Now this is the responsibility of these two men to restore the trust of the people in the sanctity of the ballot,” he added.

PTI supporters have been staging protests in major urban centres, including Lahore and Karachi, against alleged rigging in the elections.

Imran warned that if his party’s concerns were not addressed, the voters who came out to vote for the first time on May 11 would lose their faith in the democratic exercise. “I can say with confidence that the elections were massively rigged,” he added.

He said that his party’s demand for recounting in six National Assembly constituencies is doable. “Recounting with the help of thumbprints will remove our apprehensions. We may lose after the recount but we will accept it and people’s trust in the electoral process will be restored.”

Imran reiterated what his party’s leadership announced at a news briefing earlier in the day: PTI supporters will stage a sit-in outside the Election Commission in Islamabad on May 24 if the party’s demand was not met.

PTI Secretary General in Punjab Dr Yasmeen Rashid has said that Imran would also participate in the sit-in.

Punjab-wide protest on May 21

PTI’s Punjab chapter President Ejaz Chaudhary on Sunday threatened province-wide protests outside all divisional press clubs on May 21 if the party’s demand for recounting was ignored.

“The PTI has given the ECP three days for recounting but the commission paid no heed. This step is extremely important to establish the fairness and credibility of the elections,” Chaudhary said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20^th, 2013.

“I was out to cast my ballot when I went into labour and was rushed to the hospital,” Zahida told The Express Tribune. “Our sons were born on the polling day and we want them to have the same fate as the Sharif brothers.”

Last Saturday marked a landmark victory for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president, whose party garned the most seats in the National Assembly.

“We live in a rented house in Chung area of Lahore,” Zahida said. “We are not affluent, but want our children to prosper.” Naming them after the Sharifs will bring them good fortune, she added.

Apart from Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif, Zahida has two older children.  “We are grateful to God for blessing us with a pair of healthy twins,” said the twins’ emotional father, Siraj.

“I want them to go to school, and later serve the country as Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif are.”

“I hope they are as successful as the Sharif brothers and make us all proud,” he added.

The twins were born at Government Nawaz Sharif Social Security Hospital. “They are normal and healthy babies and weren’t put under special observation,” said a doctor at the hospital. Many people, including other patients at the hospital, visited the twins upon learning that they are named after the PML-N leaders. “People who had come to their own relatives wanted to see the May 11 twins,” said Muhammad Ishaq, an attendant at the hospital.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2013.

The development comes after JI chief Syed Munawar Hasan paid a visit to ailing PTI Chairman Imran Khan at Shaukat Khanam Memorial Hospital on Wednesday to enquire about his health. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Hasan said his party would be given three ministries: finance, education and usher and zakat.

He said Aftab Sherpao’s Qaumi Watan Party will also be a part of the coalition and will also get three ministries and there would be one senior minister each from JI and QWP.

JI Secretary Information Anwar Niazi told The Express Tribune that, “Both the leaders discussed the plan to form a coalition government in K-P. JI and PTI are going to form a coalition government and the modalities of it were also discussed at the meeting.”

According to a senior member of the QWP, they were tilted towards PTI and “contact has been made by the top leadership of both parties. However, we are waiting for a formal announcement by the PTI chief”.

Meanwhile, in order to have a stronger negotiating hand with political parties, independent provincial assembly candidates from K-P also formed a ‘united front’, representing at least 8 MPAs out of a total of 13.

Addressing a press conference, independent MPA Israrullah Gandapur said, “Political parties have individually made contact with almost all independent candidates regarding joining their parties but we have unanimously decided to go into the assembly under the united front platform,” he said, adding that “soon a committee will be formed with the task to negotiate with other parties.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2013.

In a recorded video message unveiled by senior party members at a press conference here on Wednesday, Imran called for the recounting of votes in four constituencies of the National Assembly, while senior party leaders added two more on his recommendation. These constituencies include NA-57 Attock, NA-110 Sialkot, NA-122, NA-125, NA-154 Lodhran and NA-239.

“Recounting in these constituencies should be done by matching finger-prints of voters on ballot papers to their fingerprints on their ID cards available with NADRA,” the PTI chief suggested, adding that it was not a lengthy exercise and would not take more than two days.

“The whole nation wants to move ahead now after the elections and the PTI also wants to move ahead as well, but there are serious apprehensions about elections. People are protesting about the rigging and they are not out on the call of PTI,” he said. He did however add that if the ECP did not accept their demands then the party would also get involved with the protests.

The PTI chief pointed out that the turnout this time had been historic and people who once looked down upon the democratic process in Pakistan came out to cast their vote.

“If we don’t remove their apprehensions, their trust on the democratic process will be shattered. ECP should remove their apprehensions regarding rigging … this will benefit the democracy in Pakistan not the PTI,” he added.

He added that supporters and leaders of the party in Karachi, including Dr Arif Alvi, who is contesting the polls from the NA-250, had received death threats for protesting against rigging.

The rival captains meet

After a pitched battle, the ‘friendly match’ looks set to commence. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has said that despite “serious political differences” he will cooperate with incoming prime minister Nawaz Sharif to take the country on the road towards progress. The PTI chief said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief had called on him and they agreed to jointly tackle issues the country is faced with, the biggest being terrorism.

“I have also spoken to [army chief] General [Ashfaq] Kayani about it. We will resolve the issue together; otherwise prosperity cannot be brought to the country.

We have serious political differences [with Nawaz Sharif] but will sit together to resolve major problems,” said Imran in the video link from his hospital bed, where he is laid up with a fractured spine after falling off a forklift at a campaign rally.

The PML-N and PTI were engaged in a heated battle in the run up to the elections, leveling allegations and criticisms against each other during campaigning. The PTI emerged as the largest party in K-P and the third largest in the Centre, behind the PML-N and PPP.

“We have a chance to form a government in K-P after a long time. We will form a model government and implement our plan of improving things there, and will show people how this plan can be implemented all over the country,” Imran said.

Following his visit to the hospital on Tuesday, Nawaz said his party would respect the PTI’s mandate, dismissing rumours that the PML-N planned to form a coalition government in K-P.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2013.

Having officially secured seven seats in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) announced on Wednesday that they will be joining with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to form a government in the province.

The decision came shortly after JI chief Syed Munawar Hasan met with PTI chief Imran Khan at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital in Lahore on Wednesday evening.

Hasan, along with JI general secretary Liaquat Baloch and other party members, discussed with Imran about the government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, in addition to the protests against poll rigging in other parts of the country.

We will respect mandate of PTI in KPK and will not participate in any efforts to snatch this mandate

— Syed Munawar Hasan (@SMunawarHasan) May 15, 2013

After the meeting, Hasan told the media that as per initial negotiations, the JI will be given three ministries under one senior minister, Express News reported. The details of the portfolios which will be allotted to the JI will be announced by Imran Khan later.

According to a PTI spokesperson in Peshawar, PTI will also be giving ministries to Qaumi Watan Party (seven seats) and Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan (three seats), both of whom will be joining PTI in the K-P government.

Joint protests

The JI chief also revealed that they will be joining with PTI in their protests against poll rigging in Karachi and Hyderabad.

Elections were heavily rigged in Karachi and Hyderabad. JI and PTI will jointly protest for re-elections in these two cities

— Syed Munawar Hasan (@SMunawarHasan) May 15, 2013

JI and PTI have been protesting against rigging in Karachi since the polls in Saturday.

Ministries for JI

JI would be given the ministries of Finance, Education and Ushar and Zakat, according to JI Secretary Information Anwar Niazi.

“The PTI will not do opposition for the sake of opposition. It will support the government in its good actions and make healthy criticisms of the wrong actions,” PTI Punjab President Ijaz Chaudhry told reporters, after a party meeting in Model Town on Tuesday. He added that the PTI would try to take all other opposition members in the Punjab Assembly on board.

Rasheed will likely be opposition leader, as the parliamentary leader of the largest opposition party gets that honour. When the assembly is called to meet, Rasheed will have to show his support to the speaker, after which he will be notified as opposition leader.

Rasheed told reporters that he would follow the party line in the Punjab Assembly and would play the role of a mature opposition leader. He said he wouldn’t use his position to settle scores and would take all opposition members on board.

Chaudhry, the PTI Punjab president, expressed reservations about the elections at 15 National Assembly and five Punjab Assembly seats in the province. These are: NA-57 ni Attock; NA-81 and NA-85 in Faisalabad; NA-86 in Jhang; NA-93 in Toba Tek Singh; NA-118, NA-120, NA-122, NA-125, NA-127 and NA-128 in Lahore; NA-135 in Sheikhupura; NA-168 and NA-170 in Vehari; and NA-190 in Bahawalnagar; PP-7 in Rawalpindi; PP-68 in Faisalabad; PP-160 in Lahore; PP-184 in Kasur; and PP-281 in Bahawalnagar.

“These are the constituencies where we think rigging took place,” Chaudhry said, adding that those out on the streets protesting against this had a right to do so.

However, he hinted that the party had accepted the election results in the Punjab. “We will lodge our complaints with the chief election commissioner and write to the chief justice of Pakistan. This will be to give them our recommendations to stop rigging in the future elections. We will sit in opposition and play an important role,” he said.

PTI Punjab General Secretary Dr Yasmeen Rashid and MPA-elect Mian Aslam Iqbal were present at the briefing.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 15^th, 2013.

LAHORE / MULTAN: A white-paper will be issued by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) against alleged rigging at some polling stations in Karachi and Punjab, announced PTI chief Imran Khan on Sunday.

“The white-paper will inform the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) of the tactics used for rigging these polls so that the practice can be checked in future,” said Imran, who is recovering from back and head injuries after he fell off a fork-lift at a PTI public meeting in Lahore on May 7.

On his hospital bed, Imran’s spirits were high as he sought an angle of optimism in PTI’s defeat: “The biggest power of democracy is the opposition. We will show this country what a strong opposition is like.”

With the PTI emerging as one of the top parties, and having won majority seats in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Imran said, “We will turn the government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa into a model government.”

“The gloom of defeat has not affected me as I have witnessed the unprecedented zeal and fervour of the youth and women in this country.”

The ‘core’ reason

The extra hour for polling allowed by the ECP is the core reason of PTI’s defeat, said PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Discussions regarding allegations of rigging will take place at the party-level, after which the party will make a complaint to the poll body, he said.

As lack of timely arrangements had delayed the polling process at several polling stations in the country, the ECP had extended the countrywide polling deadline by an hour. Polling stations in seven Karachi constituencies were given an extension of three hours.

Qureshi’s stance towards PTI’s defeat was similar to Imran’s. He said PTI accepts the people’s mandate and will sit in the opposition. “We will be the toughest and most disciplined opposition in the history of this country – and not a friendly one like PML-N.”

About the independent candidates, Qureshi said PTI is an ideal party for them as it has proved to be the icon of change through its policies and ideology. “Independent candidates should not opt for power, luxuries and nepotism.”

Furthermore, the PTI leader appreciated Jamshed Dasti, saying that he broke the status quo dominated by feudal lords in Muzaffargarh by securing two National Assembly seats.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 13^th, 2013.

The constituencies where most women were seen include NA-122, NA-125, NA-126 and NA-128. The presiding officers in these areas said the women’s vote had played a decisive role in determining the results.

Women voters were among the most exuberant party supporters in many constituencies. “I have never been so excited about casting my vote. This time I was excited because Imran Khan was contesting against Ayaz Sadiq in my constituency,” said Mrs Huda Akram, a voter at the Government Sulemania School polling station in Samanabad, NA-122.

“I brought four others with me to vote for the PTI. I am no longer a resident of Samanabad. I came all the way from Wapda Town to vote here,” said Mrs Saira Anwar at the same polling station. She wore armbands with PTI colours on them and covered her car’s rear screen with a PTI flag.

“I did not want to regret not casting my vote for the party I prefer. I voted for a Roshan Pakistan and stamped the tiger,” said Shazia Hasan, another voter in Samanabad.

The women voters in Defence Housing Authority, NA-125, not only wore special dresses but also got their faces painted. “Our respect, vote and support are for Imran Khan and PTI.

The youth has hope pinned on one person. He has pulled the youth out of their homes to cast their votes. I got a PTI flag painted on my face to show my love for the party,” said Tanya, a young voter at a polling station near DHA Cinema.

“Voting is an obligation and women must come out to vote. I voted today. It feels as if I have fulfilled my responsibility to choose the right person to represent me in the assembly,” said Mrs Afzal, a voter in Johar Town NA-128.

“Many women have come out to vote this time. This is a very healthy sign and I hope that when the data is compiled, the women’s turn out in Lahore will be exceptional. This will motivate even more women to participate in the electoral process,” said Nadeem Anthony, a human rights activist.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2013.

A five-year-old wrapped in a PTI flag walked to a PML-N camp in Samanabad and gave running commentary on the elections, holding a stick to his mouth as if it were a microphone.

“Uncle, who do you think will win?” he said to an elderly PML-N supporter, pretending to be a television reporter. “Go ask the people at the PTI camp,” grumbled the elderly voter, not amused.

A PML-N supporter complained that the PTI camps were artificially made to look busier and more popular. “There are lot of women there because for every voter, there are three others just there to give her company. They’re trying to create the impression that they have a lot of support, but it’s a ruse,” said Khalil Ahmad, a PML-N voter.

“PML-N is just jealous. Most young people and women are voting for PTI,” said Saira Khan, a PTI supporter.

Some kids in Samanabad roamed the streets wearing clothes resembling tiger hides. Tiger pictures and dolls were also displayed in or on several cars. Groups of supporters for both sides also sang party songs at each other.

“This is a good thing for democracy,” said Malik Naeem, an elderly voter. “It’s called election fever. Some will win and others will lose, but ultimately it is a victory for democracy.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2013.

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan is recuperating fast after falling off a makeshift lift, medics said on Wednesday.

Senior PTI leaders, meanwhile, said that Imran would address a public rally in Islamabad on May 9 via video link.

Dr Faisal Sultan, the chief executive officer of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital, where Imran is being treated, said the PTI chief would definitely require bed rest for the next three days. He didn’t say when it would be possible for Imran to resume his normal life.

Imran, who had a total of 15 stitches in his head and suffered two minor back fractures, has been moved from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to a private room.

There are minor fractures in his backbone – C3, T1, T5, T6 – and his left third rib, but there is nothing to  be alarmed about, Dr
Sultan told a media briefing. “No damage is done to his skull and brain. All his body parts are functioning and there is no problem in his neurological structure. He can sit till an angle of 45 degree.”

According to Dr Sultan, three senior doctors from Pakistan Army voluntarily examined Imran and went through his test reports. “Other consultants from different medical institutes are also onboard and we are satisfied with Imran’s recovery.”

“The important thing is that the spinal canal is intact and Imran is in full control of his limbs and his body functions.” Dr Sultan said. It was only by the grace of God that Imran had not suffered any ‘neurological compromises’, he added.

A radiologist said that “compression fracture of T6 vertebral body with 40 per cent height loss” resulted in the fractured piece hitting the lung. “Some air from the lung leaked out. He should not put weight on his vertebra as it will pain when he breathes. This condition, however, is not problematic if he rests for two to three weeks.”

The report also mentions a “minimally displaced fracture of the tip of C3 spious process”. The radiologist explained that this is “the third vertebra of neck and it would get fixed pretty soon.”

Regarding a left third rib fracture, he said it does cause pain is of a minor nature. “There is no blood in the brain and the skull bone is intact. There is some blood clotting under stitches but is not a serious concern,” said the doctor who studied the report. “Two to three weeks rest is advised but if moving is absolutely necessary he can move with backbone support.”

Fans throng hospital

Hundreds of fans remain outside the hospital awaiting more news of Imran’s condition as they were not allowed to meet him.

“I am here to show my support and solidarity with Imran Khan. He is the one who can get the country on the road to progress,” said Hamza Ahmad, one of the youngsters gathered outside the hospital.

Besides others, former Pakistan team skippers Shahid Afridi and Inzamamul Haq also visited him in hospital on Wednesday.

‘A video address possible’

Senior PTI leaders, including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Javed Hashmi and Shireen Mazari, said the May 9 public meeting in Islamabad would take place as per schedule. A senior member of PTI said Imran was likely to address the rally via video link.

“A recorded message by Imran might be played at the rally but more chances are that he will address the meeting through a video link.” Speaking at a news conference, Hashmi said that 95 per cent of the election campaign had already been completed and that “PTI will get vote as a result of its 17-year-long struggle and not because of some sympathy wave.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2013.