Khawaja Asif slams PTI for 'selective approach' to by-polls

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has accused Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of adopting double standards for "shying away" from the upcoming by-elections.

In a tweet on X, the defence minister criticised the PTI leadership, saying the party was confident of manipulating results in K-P due to its control over the provincial government, but feared defeat in Punjab where, according to him, "the power of the people would prevail".

This is not an election but a game of convenience — where victory is assured, they contest; where defeat is inevitable, they boycott, the defence minister alleged.

He further claimed that PTI was leaning on "rigging and administrative machinery" in K-P instead of relying on public trust, while in Punjab, it was "unwilling to face the people's verdict".

Afraid of losing in Punjab and propped up by manipulation in K-P—this is the true face of PTI's politics, Asif said.