RAWALPINDI: Awami Muslim League (AML) President Sheikh Rashid urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to dissolve the assemblies and to hold free, fair, and transparent elections in the country.

“It has been proved on July 17 in by-elections that Imran Khan’s narrative has reached every home. Now the assemblies should be dissolved this week to hold free, fair, and transparent elections in the country,” Rashid, who is an ally of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), expressed these views, while addressing a news conference on Monday.

He said, “Shehbaz Sharif has become the prime minister of just the Capital Development Authority (CDA). There is no other option left for the prime minister but to hold free, fair, and transparent election in the country.”

He claimed that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari “buried” Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) — after the party suffered a humiliating defeat in the Punjab by-elections.

“The political funeral of PML-N took place yesterday (Sunday); Zardari has buried the party, and now, Maulana Fazlur Rehman should offer prayers for them,” he said.

Referring to the “landslide victory” of the PTI in the hotly-contested by-polls, he said that it was a “laboratory test” and the nation gave its verdict in favour of PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

He also noted that the PTI could have won the fourth seat in Lahore if it had taken a better decision.

The former interior minister — who wanted the Establishment to stay away from the by-polls — also said that the Establishment gained respect due to free, fair, and transparent by-elections in Punjab.

He said that the PTI grabbed 15 of the total 20 seats in the Punjab by-polls, while the PML-N won four seats and the remaining one seat went to an independent candidate.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022