Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Khawaja Saad Rafique has said that the ruling party has not won any by-polls as ‘dhandhla’ (mega rigging) was committed in the Daska by-election, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Addressing a news conference in Islamabad outside ECP office on Tuesday, Saad Rafique said “This government is a habitual vote-thief,” he said, adding “The only thing this government knows is to target its opponents.”
Speaking on the occasion, PML-N leader Khurram Dastagir said that the PTI government has deprived the people of their right to vote by slowing down the pace of polling in the NA-75 by-election.
“The Punjab government has been unable to reveal where those 20 presiding officers had gone,” he said, adding that “their mobile phones as well as those of six other high-ups were inaccessible.”
Govt involved in vote theft: Abbasi
Former prime minister and senior PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday accused the incumbent government of involvement in election theft and said that everyone including lawmakers were sick of the ruling party.
Talking to media persons outside Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), he said that by-election in NA-75 was stolen by the government as the ECP itself said that election of the constituency was rigged.
Abbasi said that now the government is trying to hide its face after the plan of rigging was exposed. He also demanded that hearing in the ECP should be held publicly.
The PML-N leader further said that the parliament is now paralyzed while anti-graft watchdog itself is involved in corruption. Judicial system is now a joke as lawyers are boycotting courts in Islamabad for more than a week and cases of 10 federal ministers and three former prime ministers are being heard.
By-election a challenge for ECP: Ahsan
PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said the by-election in NA-75 Daska is a challenge for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the authority of which was undermined.
“The misuse of police and administration was evident to everyone,” he said and added “The Election Commission should make an example of the people involved in it by making this a test case.”
Talking to newsmen in Islamabad, Ahsan said over Rs1,000 billion each were spent on defence and development projects. “The Army cannot win war with just missile and ammunition. For winning a war, a strong army is needed as well as a strong nation.”