PTI won’t leave PM, CMs posts uncontested

Picts Omar Ayub for PM’s slot; Aslam Iqbal and Salar Khan for Punjab, Balochistan CMs

LAHORE:

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday nominated party’s acting Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan for the post of prime minister, Mian Aslam Iqbal for Punjab chief minister, Salar Khan for Balschistan Chief Minister and Aqib Ullah Khan for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly speaker.

Acting PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan told the media that Khan had nominated these candidates, and added that nominations for the posts of national and provincial speakers and deputy speakers would be made soon.

“We will explore all available options to elect Omar Ayub Khan as the prime minister,” Barrister Gohar said, after a meeting with the party’s founding chairman Imran Khan in the Adiala Jail. “He [Omar Ayub] will lead the country till the time Imran Khan is released from the jail.”

Moreover, In a significant development, the PTI and the once arch-rival Jamiat JUI-F voiced a singular stance on Thursday, denouncing the recently held February 8 general elections as "not free and fair".

During a joint press conference, prominent figures from both parties echoed mutual concerns regarding the lack of transparency and prevalence of rigging and irregularities in the electoral process.

Hafiz Hamdullah, representing JUI-F, emphasised the consensus reached between the two parties, highlighting the widespread agreement on the “compromised” nature of the polls.

PTI's Barrister Saif concurred, affirming that both PTI and JUI-F have unequivocally rejected the election outcomes. However, he added that PTI would persist in its political endeavours, aiming to collaborate with other like-minded parties who share their stance on the unfairness of the electoral process.

In the worst case scenario, if the party was not allowed to form the government at the Centre, Gohar added, the PTI would prefer to sit on the opposition benches rather than sharing power either with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) or the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

“We were offered to share power with the PML-N and the PPP but we refused to accept the offers as per the principled stance of Imran Khan. The nation has given a clear mandate to Tehreek-e-Insaf for forming government in the country. Our mandate is being snatched by manipulating election results.”

Barrister Gohar stressed that the PTI would persevere until decisions on its pending election-related appeals in courts.  He appealed to the courts to promptly make decisions on more than 70 petitions related to manipulation in the results of the February 8 elections.

Barrister Gohar complained that the party, which he claimed had bagged more than two-thirds majority at the centre, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) was being marginalised, saying that attempts were being made to steal PTI’s mandate and give to those who could not even secure 20 seats.

He announced that the PTI, as per Imran Khan’s decision, would start nationwide protest demonstrations on Saturday (tomorrow) against the “blatant rigging” in the last week’s general election in the country.

He asked all political parties – Jamaat-e-Islam (JI), Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), Awami National Party (ANP) and others, who believed that their mandate had been stolen – to join the protest movement for democracy, rule of law and real freedom in the country.

He appealed to the masses to come out in large numbers to register their protest against vote tampering. “The elections were the most difficult polls in the country’s history in which the Pakistani nation has given a clear mandate to Tehreek-e-Insaf against all odds,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Senior PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat disclosed that the party had considered long march plans but Imran Khan decided that the people had to come out to protect their mandate. Imran had asked the nation to come out in large numbers on Saturday (tomorrow), he added.

“They [the government] will try to harass you. They may try to stage a false-flag operation like May 9. They may attack you through police and law-enforcement agencies. But you should keep in mind that it is for the future of Pakistan,” Marwat said.

“If you fail to show up in big numbers such attempts to steal public mandate will continue in future elections,” he warned. He added that Khan had already said that efforts were afoot to impose a money-laundering syndicate in Pakistan, but this plan was bound to fail.

Citing Imran, Marwat stressed that only remittances from overseas Pakistanis could bring the country out of the current economic quagmire. He added that Imran Khan had underscored that financial stability would be impossible without political stability in the country.

Marwat announced that the party would give a detailed presentation to the national and international media about the manipulation of the February 8 election results on Friday (today). “It will show Form 45 of all 80 constituencies in which election results were tempered with.”

Meanwhile, PTI leader and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser termed the elections as the worst in Pakistan’s history and stressed the need for concerted action against electoral malpractice. He said that the PTI would reach out to other parties to launch a country-wide protest movement.

Despite challenges, the PTI remains steadfast in its refusal to accept electoral irregularities, opting instead to pursue legal avenues and mobilise public support. Plans for a parliamentary party meeting are under way, underscoring PTI’s commitment to challenging the election results, he concluded.