FAISALABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Sunday assailed the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government for being a part of alleged rigging in the May 11 poll and added that ‘new Pakistan’ was not possible without free and fair elections, DawnNews reported.
Speaking at a rally staged in Dhobi Ghaat area here to protest alleged rigging in the 2013 general election, he said the party was heading a movement to change the people’s fate and announced to hold the next ‘tsunami rally’ in Sialkot on June 7.
Despite‘free for all’ music concert, featuring popular Punjabi singers including Naseebo Lal and Hans Raj Hans organised by the local administration, an estimated crowd between 25,000 and 50,000 party supporters attended the rally.
Khan, during his speech at D-Chowk in Islamabad on May 11 – the first of the series of rallies his party planned to organise – had demanded formation of a new fully independent Election Commission and vote verification in four constituencies his party has pointed out before.
Imran Khan said ‘new Pakistan’ was not possible without free and fair elections in the country.
“Everything will be unmasked before the masses once vote verification is completed in the four constituencies we have pointed out to Election Commission,” he said.
The PTI chief said the PML-N government had promised the public that they will break the begging bowl before the May 11 poll, however, it has broken all records in getting loans instead.
The cricketer-turned-politician said rising inflation in the country was linked to corruption, for which he blamed the prevailing government.
He said the PML-N leaders think that anything can be bought with money that is why they distributed laptop computers among the youth.
“But they should know that ideology is priceless,” he added.
Khan reiterated that the ruling party along with former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and owner of Geo/Jang group, Mir Shakilur Rehman were equally responsible for the alleged rigging last year.
He vowed to bring the culprits behind the rigging to book.
‘Parliament right forum to discuss issues’
Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, meanwhile, said Parliament was the right forum to discuss issues and bring reforms in the system through legislation.
Taking out rallies or organising public meetings for fulfilling the demands or own wishes was not the right way, he said while speaking to Pakistan Television (PTV).
Saad Rafique said the PTI should present suggestions in the Parliament to improve working of the state institutions. PTI chief Imran Khan was following the steps of a person of foreign nationality holder, he added.
He said there was need to show political maturity for resolving the matters and making progress in any issue.
Replying to a question, the minister said the PML-N government wanted to streamline the system and for this, all important steps were being taken to achieve the objectives.
The minister said all the political parties should sit together to make progress for the betterment of the country.
To another question, he said all the issues should be discussed at a proper forum, which was the right way to address the problems. – APP
