Govt to PTI: If you verify ours, we'll verify yours
Minister casts doubt over seats PTI won; party offered to join fact-finding committee instead of holding protests
“If you are going to launch a rally against rigging, bring evidence," says Khawaja Saad Rafique. Pakistan. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
Taking a page out of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's book, the government seems to have put forward its own set of rigging allegations on seats that Imran Khan's party had won in the 2013 General Elections.
During the National Assembly session on Thursday, Minister for Railways Khawja Saad Rafique offered the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which is adamant to hold a protest rally on May 11 against rigging in the 2013 polls, to verify four constituencies of their choice to settle the dispute.
“I urge PTI not to go for the protest rally and instead make one offer: Constitute a parliamentary fact-finding committee before which both the government and the PTI can submit evidence of rigging in elections in four constituencies each,” said Rafique while addressing the assembly.
The PTI had already asked for verification of votes and if that is the case then we also ask for verification of votes in four constituencies, said Rafique.
Those constituencies include include NA-56 –Rawalpindi won by PTI chairman Imran Khan defeating Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Candidate Haneef Abbasi; NA-55 –Rawalpindi won by Sheikh Rashid Ahmed of Awami Muslim League (AML); NA 126 Lahore—won by Shafqat Mehmood of PTI and the constituency of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Parvez Khattak.
“If you are going to launch a rally against rigging, bring evidence. And in case your ulterior motives are other than this, we do not have a solution to that,” Rafique added.
He also questioned the logic behind the protest rally, saying “you could have brought election reforms in this house instead of protesting.”
The government has allowed PTI to hold the rally in Islamabad.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan assured the PTI that the government had no objection to the PTI holding a “peaceful rally” in Islamabad.
“The PTI will not only have permission to hold the rally, but the Islamabad administration will also facilitate it,” he added.
Nisar said that we have no doubt on the statement of Imran Khan that the rally would be peaceful, and it was his party’s democratic right to protest.
Earlier, PTI Chairman Imran Khan clarified that his party did not want to derail the democratic system as it was being perceived.
“What we are asking for is a transparent system which would strengthen the system," he said.
Khan urged the government to permit PTI to hold the rally in Islamabad as it was his party’s democratic right to have peaceful protests.
Taking a page out of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's book, the government seems to have put forward its own set of rigging allegations on seats that Imran Khan's party had won in the 2013 General Elections.
During the National Assembly session on Thursday, Minister for Railways Khawja Saad Rafique offered the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which is adamant to hold a protest rally on May 11 against rigging in the 2013 polls, to verify four constituencies of their choice to settle the dispute.
“I urge PTI not to go for the protest rally and instead make one offer: Constitute a parliamentary fact-finding committee before which both the government and the PTI can submit evidence of rigging in elections in four constituencies each,” said Rafique while addressing the assembly.
The PTI had already asked for verification of votes and if that is the case then we also ask for verification of votes in four constituencies, said Rafique.
Those constituencies include include NA-56 –Rawalpindi won by PTI chairman Imran Khan defeating Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Candidate Haneef Abbasi; NA-55 –Rawalpindi won by Sheikh Rashid Ahmed of Awami Muslim League (AML); NA 126 Lahore—won by Shafqat Mehmood of PTI and the constituency of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Parvez Khattak.
“If you are going to launch a rally against rigging, bring evidence. And in case your ulterior motives are other than this, we do not have a solution to that,” Rafique added.
He also questioned the logic behind the protest rally, saying “you could have brought election reforms in this house instead of protesting.”
The government has allowed PTI to hold the rally in Islamabad.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan assured the PTI that the government had no objection to the PTI holding a “peaceful rally” in Islamabad.
“The PTI will not only have permission to hold the rally, but the Islamabad administration will also facilitate it,” he added.
Nisar said that we have no doubt on the statement of Imran Khan that the rally would be peaceful, and it was his party’s democratic right to protest.
Earlier, PTI Chairman Imran Khan clarified that his party did not want to derail the democratic system as it was being perceived.
“What we are asking for is a transparent system which would strengthen the system," he said.
Khan urged the government to permit PTI to hold the rally in Islamabad as it was his party’s democratic right to have peaceful protests.