September 2, 2002	Monday	Jamadi-us-Saani23,1423

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ISLAMABAD, Sept 1: The rejection of nomination papers of the chairman of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, for NA-133 (Ahmedpur East) appears to be a part of the strategy to prevent the entry of those leading party members, who are opposing the government, to the parliament.

This was stated by the information-secretary of the PTI, Akbar S. Babar, while speaking to a hurriedly called news conference at the party office here on Sunday.

Mr Babar showed to newsmen the original certificate of the University Grants Commission, endorsing Imran Khan’s bachelor’s degree from the Oxford University (UK), which was accepted in Lahore for NA-122 but was rejected by the returning officer in Ahmedpur East under “mysterious circumstances”.

The secretary alleged that eversince Imran Khan had exposed the extent of pre-poll rigging by the present regime, a campaign had been unleashed to discredit him and create hurdles in his election campaign.

Mr Babar declared that his party was determined to continue its campaign of exposing the nexus between the military rulers and the “Kings Party” because imposing a corrupt leadership with a brand new name would diminish any hope for political stability or economic revival in the future.

He said lack of checks and balances were not the real reason behind the failure of the system but it was manipulation of elections perpetrated by the establishment in the country, which had failed every incoming government.