Election rigging: Imran Khan warns govt against thwarting May 11 protest

PTI chief says he’ll fight character assassination by Geo/Jang Group.

LAHORE:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan demanded on Wednesday that action be taken under Article 6 of the Constitution against all whose who stole the public mandate’ and abetted rigging in the May 2013 elections.

“The PTI will announce future plan of action on May 11 D-Chowk protest, in which it will give a timeframe and charter of demand to the government to initiate action against those who snatched public mandate by massively rigging the elections,” the PTI chief told a news conference at his residence.

He said all party office-bearers had been directed to mobilise their friends and colleagues to participate in this movement as this ‘tsunami ‘would determine the directions of ‘Naya Pakistan’.

“It is not possible to introduce real democracy with rigged elections. Only free and fair elections can lay the foundation of a strong democracy,” he added.

Imran warned the government that any victimisation of the PTI workers to disturb their participation in the protest would not be tolerated.



Imran clarified that the PTI was not launching the movement to topple the government, but to strengthen Pakistan. He, however, added that the movement of change would not end till a real change takes place in the country.

Imran also warned Mir Shakilur Rehman, the chief executive of Jang/Geo Group, against carrying out his character assassination, saying he would not allow anyone to blackmail him.

“I will go to Dubai to defend myself against Mir Shakil’s propaganda against me… Mir Shakil, with the help of Geo/Jang Group, has always blackmailed other people to achieve his own ulterior motives,” the PTI chief said.

Imran accused the Geo Group of using its influence to have its employee Najam Sethi appointed as caretaker chief minister of Punjab and later as the chairperson of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), in order to get exclusive contracts.

“The responsibility of rigging the elections and stealing the public’s mandate also lies with this media group,” he said.

Imran also hit out at former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry for lack of action to prevent rigging in the May 2013 elections. “I believe in independence of judiciary but former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudahry and election commission disappointed me by not allowing audit in four constituencies,” he maintained.

Earlier, Imran appeared in the court of Lahore High Court chief justice in connection with a petition against stay order on recounting of votes in NA-120, where party workers paid him warm welcome. The hearing was postponed till May 12.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2014.