PTI chairman Imran Khan. PHOTO: IQBAL HAIDER
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has said his party’s senior leadership made the decision to take part in the presidential polls after mutual consultation.
He said this on Monday in the Express News programme ‘To The Point’.
Imran lamented that the presidential elections had already become controversial. “We could have registered our protest by boycotting it; but then we could not hope to stop the government from getting their candidate elected. So we decided not to leave the field open for them.”
He said he had not decided to field a candidate to find favour with Nawaz Sharif, adding that time would decide whether the PTI would ever forge an alliance with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) or not.
Imran blamed the Supreme Court for the alleged rigging in the May 11 polls, saying that the apex court had played a role in the whole affair.
He said he did not personally know Chief Justice iftikhar Chaudhry. “It is a deplorable fact that in the recent general election wholesale rigging took place – with the help of the SC and returning officers,” he added.
He said his party only wanted investigation of votes at four constituencies, “in spite of the fact that Chaudhry Nisar Ali has said his party has no objection to the scrutiny of votes of even 20 constituencies.”
“Dr. Tahir ul Qadri was right when he said the whole system had deteriorated and positive change won’t come no matter how many elections you hold,” Imran acknowledged.
He said the PTI did not join Qadri’s long march only because it had pinned its hopes on the judiciary. “We believed that the judiciary had become totally independent. We thought it would help bring forward a new leadership by ensuring free and fair elections under its supervision.” However, Imran added, Qadri turned out to be right.
Imran said his party had accepted the results of the elections and now wanted scrutiny at only four constituencies so that such rigging might be avoided in future. He said if his claim about rigging proved wrong, he would publicly apologise.
The PTI chairman said that after the May 12 incident, in which Muttahidi Qaumi Movement (MQM) was allegedly implicated for killing of dozens of political workers, all parties had agreed not to make any alliance with the MQM until it abandoned its politics of violence. He claimed that he would never go to the MQM’s headquarters ‘Nine-Zero’ like Nawaz League.
Imran said: “We have had three All Parties Conferences (APC) on terrorism. But none of the recommendations of the conferences have ever been adopted.”
He demanded that before the APC, a meeting of the selected people be arranged, “Where we may tell the truth and know what types of [secret] agreements we have made with the US, so that we may come up with a strategy accordingly.”
“I am ready to go to the US and speak to their think tanks and media. I will tell them that drone attacks are counterproductive and not in the best interest of both the countries,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 30th, 2013.
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instead blaming others focus on your failure in KPP....the resent jail break and escaped of prisoners...
Well ally with the Corruption party Mr. Imran Khan and at least I will not be voting for you again
Now he is thinking of making alliance with PPPP.....CHANGE HAS COME.....
This enitre article shows his furstration. Damn Khan Saab, accept ur defeat. You've been rejected. That may help you think postively. And as an advice KPK has given you some-what mandate please respect and Serve them, dont waste your time saving Elephants in London (or what ever the heck you went to do in London against MQM). Get your priorities straightened. KPK rejected ANP becuase it failed to serve, PTI May be next, so foucs on what you got.
Meeting of "selective people"?! Now this dictator is really dictating, isn't he? Can someone ask him if he realizes that in a democracy people ELECT people to represent them and there's no room for any "slective people" to play any role whatever. And so far as PTI / IK and its going into any political alliance is concerned. No, time won't tell it. I tell you that you would be going in some political arrangements call it an alliance, a coalition or cooperation and you'd be doing it soon that is if you wish to stay relevant.
@Adnan: I don't know why people give prefernce over hear say, istead of reading and using their itellectual abilities. Strange silience??? who is given a tough time to MQM in Karachi? who went to scotland yard? it is for sure that your memory is befooling you.
@Adnan: he already visited 90 in 1997 when he called MQM a great party and Altaf Hussain a revolutionary leader.
@doom: You perhaps dont recognize the fact that the evidence for rigging in election is overwhelming. Its been proven to be true in some constituencies where there was a recount. Instead of getting emotional like this try to appreciate people's right to ask for justice please.
The headline is totally out of context. He never said any such thing. It is better that you watch the interview yourself rather than relying on the headlines of ET before deciding on anything.
Be positive & have passions. Don't lose hope. After this kind of mess in which our country going through it takes time for the rectification. Give him your support, remember that h is our only hope.
The good thing about Imran Khan is that he speaks the heart and mind of public and whenever he finds himself on the wrong side, he would apologize.
being a sportsman he should know how to handle defeat and should respect peoples mandate and join hand with government to resolve the critical issues country is facing.
He claimed that he would never go to the MQM’s headquarters ‘Nine-Zero’ like Nawaz League
Hope your memory doesn't bluff you on any future date.
Had you managed to get 70-80 seats in May elections, we would have already seen this. Wasn't this the reason behind your strange silence on MQM issue in the run-up of the elections.
CJP You Must Immediately Resign from the post in order to revive the sanctity of the Institution. Once you were a symbol but now you have lost all our faith.
@SM ZAKI: It is useless o talk to you, because it is evident from your comment that you don't even know the ABC of politics. Alas! People give verdicts on issues, about which they have no idea, similar, as you tell any Pakistani about your illness and they will prescribe you a medicine. An analysis can never be fair when it is based on hatred for one and an unconditional love for another.
@haroon: Thats what you call yellow journalism bro, ET and all Pak media is famous for this and responsible for all this chaos in the country,
ET please publish this comment now. let people now.
He should except his defeat. Its been 2 month and he should also except that there is no difference in PTI and other political parties.
ts very sad that the journalists at times misquoted things . i watched this interview and imran khan said this sentence that we vl nevr in alliance vd ppp and time vl tel .if u wana knw that hw imran khan replied to the qs ,imran tauntingly said time vl tel .shame on these journalist tht misguides people
@SM ZAKI: Shooting drones, relief in loadshedding and Nato policy are all matter taken care by provincial government, then wonder what Federal government and cabinet is for?
I am a loyal PTI supporter but with every passing day, i think i voted first and last time in my life. I just can't understand why IK first and last thing is drone attacks? for Lord's sake, do something about Taliban and kill those monsters.
I saw the interview myself. He never said 'only time will tell if we make allies with PPP'. He just responded on a specific issue as only time will tell when asked if they will follow PPP's footsteps or not. The headline is misleading and it shows as if Imran Khan is trying to ally PPP in future. Bad work ET.
The presidential election which have become controversial only because of trivial matters. It was in the best interest of the ruling party to get all the parties into confidence as in the end they were the one who will be benefiting from it. Since EC had the authority to schedule these election than there was no need to refer the matter to SC. Although there is an option for review petition but PTI believes that since the matter was wrongly held at the first place therefore no need to indulge into court matters.
IK and PTI is heading towards right direction and they have done alot to bring the KPK systems under control. Its being naive to criticize or malign his efforts to eradicate corruption and establishing systems. It takes time and nobody should expect for results in a day.
@SM ZAKI:
How stupid of you when you put responsibilities of Federal Govt on KPK. Please see a doctor soon you need it very badly :)
Mr Khan, It means when Mr Shareef came out clean from all his past through Supreme Court you still believed Judiciary is independent. When he was not even convicted for IJI issue, you believed Judiciary is impartial. Sounds a bit naive. Mr Khan, this is a hopeless case and hopeless scenario. God bless Pakistan.
@ Nasir.... So declared politicians are Zardari and NS and their limited company parties.. Good Luck
How SC rigged elections by moving it 6 days back? How results can be different if we conduct these on August 6th? This is very traditional politics of bashing SC, and I am surprised to hear this from IK.
A loser can blame anyone specifically when psychologically defeated and shattered. Soon he will blame Kayani also!!
“Dr. Tahir ul Qadri was right when he said the whole system had deteriorated and positive change won’t come no matter how many elections you hold,”
Khan's future remains as bleak as TUQ.
@Usman: Agree, Worst Judiciary of the world.
@SM ZAKI:
Bro, Educate yourself before you point fingers, Moreover Nations has not given him any mandate to be in power, We all need to use our brains instead pointing fingers on this guy. Construction of your own home takes no less than 6 months and you expecting things to be taken care of in 40/50 days, ComeOn people.
ET Readers make no sense to me, Any other news on the headlines do not attract readers to comment but only Khan news, every one is ready to comment about him, Come on people. Give him a break. Can we discuss something else ?? Only time will prove that he fulfil promises in KPK or not. Stop it now.
Haters will hate him, But he is the man who brought Change. and can turn around many things if given chance.
IK politics has failed. PTI is failing in KPK. NO shooting down of drones, No relief from loadshedding, and no hurdle in nato supply. Only hollow threats, threats and threats and nothing. PTI has gone frustrted after election defeat and now they find no way to hide.
Disappointment is indeed great because Pakistan may never experience an electrifying election season like it did at the start of this year, only for the SC and PML-N to display their typical third world attitude and rig the elections.
He demanded that before the APC, a meeting of the selected people be arranged, “Where we may tell the truth and know what types of [secret] agreements we have made with the US, so that we may come up with a strategy accordingly.”
IK should expect a contempt of court notice or a suo moto action on this unconstitutional justice demand.
Boht deer ker de mehban aty aty.
"positive change won’t come no matter how many elections you hold".
Wow. Just wow. Why exactly is he in politics? Why is he participating in a system he has zero faith in? I'm going to have to save this gem and remember it next election time.