File photo of PTI chief Imran Khan. PHOTO: MUHAMMAD JAVAID
LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan stated that local bodies elections should be held under the supervision of the judiciary, Express News reported on Saturday.
Imran was speaking at a press conference in Lahore.
He also said that PTI will file a petition at the Supreme Court regarding local bodies elections.
“All political parties are saying that the local bodies elections in Punjab will not be held properly,” Imran further stated.
Imran also said that district coordination officers (DCOs) have been made district returning officers (DROs) in Punjab and the DCOs want Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to win, expressing concern about the local bodies elections.
Protest against inflation
Imran announced that PTI will protest on Dec 22 against inflation. “There will be a tsunami on the streets of Pakistan,” he remarked.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Syed Munawar Hassan and Awami Muslim League (AML) President and MNA Sheikh Rasheed will also take part in the protest.
Speaking about influence of PTI, the chairman stated that “PTI is the only party that has street power.”
Rigging in May 11 elections
During the press conference the PTI chairman also said that if votes are recounted in four constituencies won by key PML-N politicians in the May 11 general elections then record rigging will be revealed.
The PTI chairman had filed a petition at the Supreme Court seeking ‘verification of thumb impressions’ in NA-110, NA-122, NA-125 and NA 154. He had alleged massive fraud in the elections and called for the verification of voters’ thumb impressions with the help of the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA). The Supreme Court had decided to take up the important petition.
Imran demanded those responsible for the rigging and non-verification of the votes should be held accountable for it. He further added that such people have completely discredited Pakistan’s elections.
“Government has recognized that 60 to 70 thousand votes are unverified in each of the constituencies,” Imran added.
He also questioned why the Punjab ministers were scared of going to the Supreme Court adding that they keep on going to the high courts. Being critical of the Punjab government he stated that "it is afraid to hold free and fair elections".
Vote fraud controversy
On December 9, the top court had admitted the civil miscellaneous petition seeking verification of thumb impressions in four constituencies for preliminary hearing after Imran’s attorney Hamid Khan shot down the objections raised by the Supreme Court registrar against his client’s petition. The petition filed by Imran on June 8 was returned by the registrar office and the petitioner was asked to approach another forum for this purpose.
A three-judge bench had ordered the registrar office to fix Imran’s petition in the Workers Party of Pakistan’s case within seven days for regular hearing. Hamid had requested the court that as a first step to check the fairness of the 2013 general elections.
The development had come a day after Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had invited the parliamentary leaders of all political parties for a brainstorming session on the vote fraud controversy.
National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was elected on NA-122; Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had won from NA-110; Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique had defeated PTI’s Hamid Khan in NA-125 and Sadiq Baloch had outvoted PTI’s Secretary General Jahangir Tareen in NA-154.
COMMENTS (24)
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@Sophya Khan: His case's verdict has been concluded, it will be out soon. Btw i was thinking why doesn't PTI set an example for others by being the first to allow electronic voting. But wait, they haven't even been able to finalize the date for LGBs. For PTI, if they win, the election is fair, if they lose, its because of rigging.
ET why did u remove my comment?
@Xnain: you mean the person who voted 44 times for a PMLN candidate in Karachi was a burger? or why is Speaker so much afraid to even sack Chairman NADRA if elections were so fair? Dekho dekho kon aya, sher aya sher aya jaali vote lekar aya :)
@Mazhar: Right. But that government should be the KPK government!
@fawad: And that no one is 'PTI trolls'.
@uet: Stop this point scoring. Whats wrong with calling a spade a spade. When IK raises his voice for the verification of votes he is indeed raising a voice for our right, our votes! We need to wake up and start supporting people who are on our side.
What if PTI ends up a distant second again? Will he then lash at the judiciary just like he did before and was summoned for contempt? The guy has many qualities but fails to see ground reality. He lives in dreams, and such people cannot be good political leaders.
He is the only leader who spoke fairly & honestly. He is doing his best in this anvoirnment of corruption & loot. Earlier PPP did that plundering & now PML. We must listen to him give our support. This time when everything getting expensive beyond the reach of a common man he is right in saying that we must show the government of our anger.
why Imran Khan want Judiciary to conduct polls. Judicicary never supported Democracy in Pakistan. Most of the judges you cannot even trust them.
No one expects fair elections under Pmln government. At the same time no political party has shown mistrust for local government elections in kpk, under the super vision of pti government. This itself speaks volumes about the credibility of these two parties.
This is yet another political stunt of Imran Khan when he has failed to hold local bodies elections in 90 days, even after lapse of more than 168 days in power!! His trolls will still worship him no matter what ET reports about him.
Imran's interviews of 2012 n 2013 are same.same words same rhetorics all the time.earlier this man.criticised role.of judiciary in may 11 elections.now he wants the same judiciary to supervise local body elections.I can bet even if UN supervises elections? he still will say UN did muk muka with PMLN..
He should ask for a fresh Election
The country is heading nowhere in the leadership of PML(N).........We have already seen Baluchistan disintegrated due to wrong policies of federation.......Now it's the turn of KPK/FATA....The cold stance of the fedral Govt. on the bloodshed of Pushtuns brothers is making the federation weak .......
Every one is pressed to listen to him. Did not you read about the meeting between Nawaz and Army Chief? What were they discussing?