Local bodies elections should be held under judiciary's supervision: Imran

Imran also announces a country-wide protest against inflation, saying that there will be a tsunami on the streets.

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.