PTI leaders share election ‘irregularities’ with president

Leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) held a meeting with President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday and briefed him on the alleged irregularities during the recently held general elections.

According to a statement issued by the president's office, Dr Alvi met with PTI leaders Raoof Hassan and Umer Niazi, during which they informed the president about the evident irregularities during the February 8 polls.

The PTI delegation apprised the president of the party's stance regarding the alleged irregularities and reiterated that Form-45, issued in various constituencies, accurately reflects the true facts of the electoral outcomes.

They emphasised that despite attempts to pressurise the party, snatching of electoral symbols, and numerous arrests, PTI emerged victorious against all odds.

The PTI delegation highlighted that despite the atrocities, the public had shown trust in the party's candidates in the general elections.

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The development comes as the PTI-backed independent candidates outperformed all other political parties in the general elections.

Addressing a news conference on Saturday, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said that President Arif Alvi would invite his party to form the government as they had secured a majority in the National Assembly.

Gohar emphasised that everybody should respect the public mandate. “We have no quarrel with anyone, we want to move forward. We will proceed and form a government in accordance with the constitution and the law," he clarified.

Government formation

The president is bound to summon a National Assembly session to elect the speaker, deputy speaker, and the leader of the house by February 29.

According to the Constitution, the president must convene the National Assembly three weeks after the national election.

It could be called earlier if a political party secures two-thirds of the seats in the National Assembly or if political parties reach an agreement to form a coalition government.

Around 60 million, or approximately 47%, of nearly 129 million voters cast ballots on Thursday.

Independents backed by the PTI won 101 seats, followed by former Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with 75 and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) managed to grab 54.

The rest of the seats were won by other parties, including Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), which got 17.