NEW DELHI: Jailed Imran Khan‘s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has announced its decision to sit in the oppositionin Parliament and launch a countrywide protest against alleged rigging in the elections. The major political parties in Pakistan have been trying to form a federal government following the split verdict in the February 8 elections.
While PTI-backed independent candidates performed well in the election, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) claimed to have enough numbers to form the government as some independents joined PML-N party post-polls.
PTI leader Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said on Friday that the party will sit in the oppositionboth at the Centre and in the key province of Punjab, following the instructions of PTI founder Imran Khan.
The decision came after the party named Umar Ayub Khan as its candidate for the prime minister and Aslam Iqbal as chief minister for Punjab.
Saif while talking to media explained that the party has decided to sit in the oppositiondespite having evidence that their candidates won and the results were not changed.
“We decided to sit in oppositiondespite the reality that if we received seats according to our votes and the results were not changed then maybe today we might have been in the Centre with 180 seats. We have the evidence that our candidates won,” he said.
The party has also issued a white paper against alleged rigging and plans to kick off its demonstrations from Saturday.
PTI’s core committee met on Friday and finalised the plans for the nationwide protest campaign on the call of the party’s founder Khan.
“We will not take any political revenge, but we will take the country and the nation forward for the sake of the development of the country and the nation,” PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan conveyed following a 30-minute long meeting with Imran Khan at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.
The meeting urged the whole nation to come out of their houses against the “massive rigging”. The meeting also sought the resignation of the chief election commissioner.
PTI’s Information Secretary Raoof Hasan said that 2024 would be remembered due to the “biggest voter fraud” in Pakistan’s history against the party and its candidates.
“According to our estimates, out of 177 [National Assembly] seats which were supposed to be ours, only 92 have been given to us. And 85 seats have been taken away from us fraudulently,” Hasan said.
Hasan claimed that there was a huge difference in the numbers of votes polled for National Assembly and provincial assembly seats. He said that the number of rejected votes, in certain cases, exceeded the margin of victory.
While PTI-backed independent candidates performed well in the election, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) claimed to have enough numbers to form the government as some independents joined PML-N party post-polls.
PTI leader Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said on Friday that the party will sit in the oppositionboth at the Centre and in the key province of Punjab, following the instructions of PTI founder Imran Khan.
The decision came after the party named Umar Ayub Khan as its candidate for the prime minister and Aslam Iqbal as chief minister for Punjab.
Saif while talking to media explained that the party has decided to sit in the oppositiondespite having evidence that their candidates won and the results were not changed.
“We decided to sit in oppositiondespite the reality that if we received seats according to our votes and the results were not changed then maybe today we might have been in the Centre with 180 seats. We have the evidence that our candidates won,” he said.
The party has also issued a white paper against alleged rigging and plans to kick off its demonstrations from Saturday.
PTI’s core committee met on Friday and finalised the plans for the nationwide protest campaign on the call of the party’s founder Khan.
“We will not take any political revenge, but we will take the country and the nation forward for the sake of the development of the country and the nation,” PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan conveyed following a 30-minute long meeting with Imran Khan at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.
The meeting urged the whole nation to come out of their houses against the “massive rigging”. The meeting also sought the resignation of the chief election commissioner.
PTI’s Information Secretary Raoof Hasan said that 2024 would be remembered due to the “biggest voter fraud” in Pakistan’s history against the party and its candidates.
“According to our estimates, out of 177 [National Assembly] seats which were supposed to be ours, only 92 have been given to us. And 85 seats have been taken away from us fraudulently,” Hasan said.
Hasan claimed that there was a huge difference in the numbers of votes polled for National Assembly and provincial assembly seats. He said that the number of rejected votes, in certain cases, exceeded the margin of victory.