Coalition govt employed all efforts to defeat PTI in Punjab by-polls: Imran Khan

Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan claimed on Thursday that the coalition government employed all efforts to defeat his party in Punjab by-polls, Aaj News reported.

Addressing his party workers in Lahore, the PTI chairman said that the government officials who conducted the Punjab by-elections should be punished.

Lahore seeing a repeat of Sindh House horse trading, says Imran

Once again, he accused Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja of being dishonest. “We [PTI] continued lodging complaints about rigging but the ECP did not pay heed,” he said.

Khan said that CEC should resign because PTI, as the biggest political party in Pakistan, doesn't trust him.

“We do not want to contest the general elections under the leadership of the incumbent chief election commissioner.”

Khan warned that if the coalition government tried to steal the public's mandate, there will be dire consequences.

“If you try to steal the public’s mandate once again this country and the people won’t be controllable," he said.

He reiterated that Punjab was seeing a repeat of the Sindh House horse-trading, adding: “The looted money is being used once again to damage Pakistan and steal public mandate."

Khan said that the Supreme Court should have inquired about the use of the money during horse trading that happened in Islamabad during the vote of no-confidence against his government in the parliament.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t have,” he said.

The reactions come days after the coalition government decided to complete its constitutional tenure till August 2023 and agreed to make an attempt to save Hamza Shehbaz's government in Punjab even though it has lost its majority after the recent by-polls in the province.

PTI won 15 constituencies, dealing a major blow to the PML-N, who was only victorious in four.

After emerging as a majority seat winning party, PTI on Monday endorsed the nomination of Chaudhary Pervaiz Elahi as a joint candidate of the PTI and the PML-Q for the slot of Punjab chief minister for which election will be held on July 22 (Friday).