Accusations fly: Tribunal judge used figures provided by Imran’s lawyer, says Sadiq

Says he will contest fresh elections and the people of Lahore will certify his victory

LAHORE: Former speaker of the National Assembly (NA) Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has accused the election tribunal judge who declared election results in NA-122 null and void, of relying on figures provided by the lawyer of his opponent Imran Khan.

“The judge didn’t consult the reports of the Judicial Commission and NADRA and punished me for the failure of the Election Commission’s machinery,” said Sadiq, in the first formal news conference since his de-seating.

“The election tribunal didn’t mention anywhere in its decision that organised or individual rigging was done in my favour. I was fined for the mistakes of returning and presiding officers for Rs2.4 million. I have challenged this in the Supreme Court but didn’t take a stay order against it. I will contest this case and prove that the tribunal’s decision was inappropriate,” the former NA speaker said.

“Judges don’t write their own praises. Their decisions speak for them. But the judge of the tribunal first wrote about himself,” he maintained.

Sadiq said he didn’t have much money to spend on the elections but will win while keeping within limited resources. “I think what my opponent has spent in the first stage of his campaign for advertisement will be the total expenditure of my campaign,” he added.

He said he would contest elections and once again the people of Lahore would re-confirm his victory. He added that now, PTI cannot run from contesting elections under any pretext.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 12^th,  2015.