‘De-seating will lead to mid-term elections’

PTI lawmakers are the only opposition in the National Assembly

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Punjab organiser Chaudhary Muhammad Sarwar has warned that the country will see mid-term elections, not by-elections, if the National Assembly carried a resolution submitted by Jamiat UIema Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman to de-seat PTI members.

He was speaking to a delegation of women members led by provincial assembly member Dr Nosheen Hamid. Sarwar said the PTI was united under the leadership of Imran Khan. He said the party would never compromise its principles and ideology. “We are willing to make political sacrifices. However, we will never compromise our principles,” he said.

Sarwar praised the PTI lawmakers, saying that they alone were playing the role of an opposition in the national assembly. He said the federal government should beware that it could not keep the PTI away from the assembly. He said the PTI was confident of winning the seats again if its lawmakers were de-seated and a fresh election called on the seats.

Other issues discussed at the meeting were the upcoming local government elections in the province. Sarwar asked women members to continue campaigning for the party in their areas. He said the PTI would not let the provincial government postpone the elections. “We will not let them [the provincial government] steal people’s right to elect their representatives at the district level,” he said. He lamented that governments in the past had not let an elected local government system flourish in the province.

Sarwar also praised the women members for their role in strengthening PTI’s organistaion at the grassroots. He said the party would continue to work for promotion of women’s rights in the country. Aneela Beg, Samina Suhail, Neelum Irshad, Aneela Malik and Irum Bukhari were present at the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 6^th, 2015.