Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday vehemently criticised the election of Maryam Nawaz as Punjab's chief minister, accusing those in the "unconstitutional Punjab Assembly" of handpicking a "fake chief minister" through rigged results.
PTI alleged that the Sharif family, notorious for years of plundering the country and stashing wealth abroad, was once again in action in Punjab, trying to set the stage for another round of looting.
In a statement, the PTI spokesperson expressed disdain, stating it was "unconstitutional and shameful" for the police to impose a curfew outside the Punjab Assembly, preventing nominated PTI-backed candidates and elected members from participating in the meeting.
The spokesperson said that after the alleged theft of the people's mandate, the sanctity of the House is now being trampled upon.
The spokesperson stated that a woman who failed to secure a single seat, even amid alleged state oppression and rigging, should reconsider her aspirations against the people's will.
He accused Maryam Nawaz, who has been convicted in corruption cases worth billions, of prioritising the Sharif family's wealth over the welfare of the nation.
The PTI warned that the people of Punjab would not tolerate insults to their mandate in the case of an allegedly unconstitutional and fake chief minister.
The party spokesperson asserted that an unconstitutional government established through a rigged election would not last long and predicted its eventual collapse under its own weight.
Maryam Nawaz, the newly-elected chief minister, took the oath of office shortly after securing 220 votes in the provincial assembly, becoming the first woman chief executive in Pakistan's history.
The opposition candidate, Rana Aftab Ahmad, did not receive any votes as the party boycotted the elections after being reportedly silenced.
Meanwhile, addressing a news conference outside the Punjab Assembly, PTI leader Shaukat Basra said that the ‘fraudsters’ not only stole the people’s mandate, but they were treating the voters ruthlessly and also demanded the immediate resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).
Also read: Maryam Nawaz takes oath as first woman chief minister of Pakistan
He was flanked by a large number of PTI-backed candidates claiming to have won the recent elections in their respective constituencies. All the losing candidates felt cheated and showed Form 45, in their hands, proof of their victory.
Basra observed that the denial of the party symbol ‘bat’ made the ground for the rigging, adding that the ‘fake chief minister’ along with her ‘fake legislators’ were elected in the Punjab Assembly. He claimed that Maryam Nawaz had lost the election to PTI-backed candidate Meher Sharafat.
He averred that they (the PML-N) claimed that a deal had been made (with the establishment), but they did not seek the people's support. “Today, Pakistan was being ridiculed after the farce elections. After this sham election, there will be chaos in the country and subsequently, its economy will deteriorate and become unmanageable,” he added.
He castigated the Sharif family for taking turns (in the Prime Minister's office); they are “seasoned money launderers”. He added that they (the Sharif family) have cheated on the rights of the people.
He claimed that the PTI has a two-thirds majority in the Punjab Assembly after winning 250 seats.
“Hence, we will call an Assembly’s session, which will be attended by our elected candidates, and we will elect a chief minister, a speaker and a deputy speaker,” he added.
Talking about the rigging claims of former Commissioner Rawalpindi Liaquat Ali Chattha, Basra said that he (Chattha) took the name of the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the Chief Election Commissioner; thus, they request the Chief Justice to constitute a full court and excuse himself from it. “The full court proceedings should be shown live on TV,” he added.
Moreover, PTI leader Naeem Haider Panjutha told the media that their candidates were leading the polls with a margin of over 100,000 votes in PP-71 and still he lost the election. He also claimed that his voters registered in his constituency were transferred to other constituencies while their polling agents were not allowed access (to the polling stations) so that the results could be rigged in the evening.
“Also, in my constituency all ballot boxes were broken; when ‘they’ realised that I was leading the polls, the final result was altered to declare my opponent victorious by 5,000 votes,” he added.
He also complained that they have filed petitions against rigging at various platforms but all have been rejected.
PTI-backed candidate Ruba Omar also claimed, “My results were rigged to defeat me; I had a lead of 20,000 votes till midnight, but by the next morning, the results were rigged and we had lost the elections.” She also highlighted that they have filed complaints against the rigging and they will continue with our legal battle.
Another PTI-backed candidate, Awais Anjum, claimed that according to his Form 45, he bagged 33,000 votes while his opponent got 32,000. He pointed out that this was the constituency where the PTI’s vote bank was less than his opponent’s, but still in the recent elections the people came out to vote for the PTI founder chairman. He claimed that like his opponent Wasim Qadir, “some people tried to manage me, but I flatly refused, which was the cause behind his defeat”.
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