Political victimisation: PML-N using election commission against rivals, Sarwar says

The PTI has accused the government of ballot rigging in the Vehari I by-polls

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar said on Tuesday Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was using the election commission to victimise its political rivals.

Sarwar’s comments come days after the PTI accused the PML-N of vote rigging in the PP-232 Vehari-I constituency.

PTI candidate Ayesha Nazir had lost the by-election to PML-N candidate Yousaf Kasalia on August 31.

Nazir and some other party leaders, including Sarwar and Mian Mehmoodur Rashid, had addressed a press conference on this issue in Lahore on Monday.

Speaking to the media after a Defence Day function at Fortress Stadium, Sarwar said the PTI would not budge from its stance on accountability of the rulers.

“We have been saying from day one that the election commission is the revenge headquarters of the PML-N,” Sarwar said.
He said the PML-N had been running the election commission by a remote control. He said the PML-N candidate who won the by-election had tampered with the bags containing ballot papers.

He said that Nazir had called for a vote recount. He said the election commission should take notice of the issue raised by Nazir.

He said that Ayesha Nazir had video evidence of the vote rigging and removal of seals of bags containing ballot papers.

The PTI has said that it might challenge PML-N candidate’s victory in the by-election in Lahore High Court.

Sarwar said the election commission had been working as per PML-N leaders’ wishes, ignoring the law and the Constitution.

“Everyone can see PML-N’s corruption and deceit except the election commission,” he said. He said the PML-N was destroying the national institutions in a bid to make them work to its advantage. He said the PTI would not quit until it got justice.

Speaking at a Defence Day ceremony earlier, Sarwar said that Pakistan was in safe hands with General Raheel Sharif as commander of its armed forces.

“The nation pays tribute to the army for its sacrifices. All foreign powers conspiring against Pakistan will fail,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 7^th, 2016.