'Counters more powerful than voters'

SWABI:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader, Secretary General of Tehreek Tahaffuz Aain Pakistan and former Speaker of the National Assembly Asad Qaiser has said that in Pakistan, those who count the votes have become more important than those who cast them.

Addressing a gathering in Swabi, Asad Qaiser said that governing Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has become extremely difficult as the provincial government is not being allowed to function freely. He alleged that even the Chief Minister of the province has not been permitted to meet his party leader, terming it a clear violation of jail rules, which allow every prisoner the right to meet visitors.

He said that Imran Khan has served as the Prime Minister of the country, yet an elected Chief Minister is not allowed to meet him. "Does Pakistan operate on laws and principles, or is it being run through coercion?" he questioned, adding that no one can accept a system based on oppression and force. He stressed that the country must be governed in accordance with the Constitution and the rule of law.

The former National Assembly Speaker also raised concerns over the violation of people's right to vote.