“Shocked” at the surprise win of Hamza Shehbaz in the election for Punjab Chief Minister post, former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan urged his workers and supporters, particularly the youth, to stage peaceful protests immediately.
Hamza Shehbaz retained the chief ministership after Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari ruled that the votes of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) in favour of rival candidate Chaudhry Parvaiz EIahi would not be counted.
Chairman PTI @ImranKhanPTI ends his address by asking the Nation to register a strong protest. #آج_سازش_نہیں_چلے_گی pic.twitter.com/D36gSsyhBJ
— PTI (@PTIofficial) July 22, 2022
The deputy speaker’s ruling reduced Chaudhry Parvaiz EIahi’s – also belonging to the PML-Q – tally to 176 from originally-polled 186. Mazari then declared Hamza Shehbaz, who secured 179 votes in the election, as winner.
“I am in shock at what happened in the Punjab Assembly today,” Imran said, while addressing the people. “Get everyone out of your homes and register your protest tonight,” he said. “People should protest, but don't take law into your hand, stay peaceful,” he added.
Imran fired a broadside against former president and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Zardari, charging him with “using stolen money in every election” and “buying democracy”. He said that people would throw eggs at Zardari if he came out in public.
Read Pervez Elahi wins election, but Hamza Shehbaz gets Punjab CM slot
Deputy Speaker Mazari’s ruling of rejecting the PML-Q’s votes came on the basis of a letter written by PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain. However, Imran disputed the validity of the letter written by party leader.
Imran stressed that such decisions are taken by the parliamentary leader of the party and not by the party leader. “It is written in Article 63A [of the Constitution] that the parliamentary head of the party decides where to vote,” he said.
He told the public that the PTI had decided to challenge the deputy speaker’s ruling in the Supreme Court and added that he now expected the apex court would play its role in the matter. He said that things “are clear before the Supreme Court”.
He likened “the circus today” with the staying of the PTI lawmakers at the Sindh House ahead of the vote of no-confidence against him. “This circus that we are seeing, it first happened in the Sindh House,” he said.
“A market was set up, where the price of the conscience of the public leaders and parliamentarians was ascertained. Even there, the biggest culprit was the biggest dacoit, Asif Zardari. All this horse-trading is happening with the Sindh’s public money,” he added.
“They are not politicians, they are mafias. They consider people as sheep and goats,” Imran said. “I have done jihad against Zardari and [the] Sharifs for years. Until and unless we bring these dacoits under the rule of law, there is no future for this country.”
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