Imran hopes to win by-polls despite fears of rigging

JHANG: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday said that they are attempting to protect the state from the ‘slaves of the US’, urging his voters and supporters to stand guard against possible rigging in the upcoming Punjab by-elections.

He said this while addressing a political rally in Jhang on Wednesday evening.

He told his supporters that they had to go back to the polls because their candidate from this constituency had sold his conscience and become a turncoat.

He reiterated his rhetoric that the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had been planning to rig the upcoming polls, alleging that they had co-opted the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and a ‘Mr. X’ in Lahore and his accomplice, ‘Mr. Y’, in Multan who are allegedly attempting to rig the elections.

The former prime minister said that during his tenure, he had tried to introduce electronic voting systems in the country to eradicate rigging.

“The chief election commissioner also did not allow us to introduce electronic voting machines,” he said.

However, he said they would win the by-polls in Punjab – scheduled on Sunday – despite that all forces have gathered against his party.

He asked his voters, especially youngsters, to come out on the Election Day for casting their votes as it would mar all plans of rigging.

He claimed that the local government elections in Sindh were rigged to a level that even the government’s coalition partners including MQM-P and JUI-F called it out. He alleged that the election commissioner of Sindh takes money from the Sindh government.

He said Yousaf Raza Gillani’s son – who is a national lawmaker - was caught red-handed ahead of the Senate election while the chief election commissioner lent a deaf ear to the Supreme Court’s order regarding the identification of vote.

He said the nations progress not because of the resources but because of the moral standards as he recalled how - after reaching Motorway today - he witnessed the photos of ‘two convicts’ including Maryam Nawaz and Nawaz Sharif.