Widening scope: Dr Malik came to power through rigging, says Imran

Opposition Jirga to devise own formula to break deadlock in talks.


Our Correspondent September 07, 2014

ISLAMABAD:


Relentless in his criticism of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League and its allies, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan alleged on Sunday that Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch also came to power through electoral fraud.


“Dr Baloch, who contested the 2013 elections from Turbat, bagged 4,500 votes, while his rival Syed Ehsan Shah of the Balochistan National Party-Awami polled 4,150 votes,” Imran told thousands of his cheering supporters at Islamabad’s D-Chowk. “Six hundred votes cast in favour of Shah were mistakenly not counted. When the returning officer wrote a letter to the election authorities to point out the mistake he was transferred,” Imran claimed.



The PTI chairman further alleged that almost 24,000 votes were rejected in the National Assembly constituency from where former prime minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali was declared winner, while the difference of votes between Jamali and the runner-up candidate was just 5,000.

Commenting on $200 billion stashed away in Swiss banks by Pakistani politicians, Imran said, “Neither Nawaz Sharif or Asif Ali Zardari nor Altaf Hussain can bring back the money from Swiss banks,” he said referring to the prime minister and leaders of two other main political parties the PPP and MQM. “Only I can bring back the stolen money,” he said.

The PTI chief also called upon his supporters to help their brethren affected by the flash floods in different parts of the country. “Help the flood-hit people in the day and come to the dharna in the night,” he told participants of the sit-in.

Negotiations between a political Jirga of opposition parties and the PTI and PAT have all but failed. And a close confidant of Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Sirajul Haq, who has been leading the Jirga, said that the JI chief was likely to give his own formula for ending the crisis.

“The new formula has been drafted to break the deadlock over the resignation of Premier Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif,” the confidante told The Express Tribune.

PTI and PAT negotiators have told the Jirga that they were not mandated to show flexibility on the issue of the Sharif brothers’ resignation. According to the new formula, PAT and PTI would be asked to drop its demand for immediate resignation of the Sharif brothers and wait till investigations into alleged electoral fraud and Model Town tragedy.

“If the investigations endorse the stance of PAT and PTI, then the government would be sent packing and a fresh election would be announced,” he added.

Insiders revealed that a deadlock persists between the two sides on the issue of resignations. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar also confirmed this after a meeting between the two sides at the residence of PTI leader Jahangir Tareen. Dar, however, added that there was a consensus on all policy demands. On his part, PTI vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi said in a lighter vein that his side “prays the government side show a soft corner”. To this Dar said the “government prays the PTI side comes up with a realistic approach”. The negotiators, however, agreed to continue their negotiations.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 8th, 2014.

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