No electioneering in NA-122: Imran to challenge ECP move in LHC

Says he can only offer his party’s manifesto to people

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan announced on Sunday that he would challenge the election supervisory body’s move in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday (today) against barring him from electioneering for the upcoming by-polls in the NA-122 constituency.

“How can a party leader be barred from taking the party’s manifesto to the people?” he said after meeting workers of different union councils.

Terming it “illegal and undemocratic”, the PTI chairman also said that he would file an application with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on the matter.

On September 16, the ECP had barred all parliamentarians, including Imran Khan, from visiting and taking part in campaigning for the October 11 by-elections in NA-122 (Lahore) and NA-154 (Lodhran-I) constituencies.

Imran said that he is hopeful the court would allow him to exercise his ‘democratic’ right of campaigning as a political leader. “What have I to offer except my party’s manifesto?”

Influential people of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), he alleged, are distributing funds, offering jobs and even resorting to harassment of people in the NA-122 constituency.

“These aren’t the 2013 elections but of 2015. We are fully prepared to counter attempt of rigging,” he said.

The PTI leader lashed out at the Punjab police for harassing his party workers ahead of the by-polls, as well as the LG elections.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 21^st,  2015.