ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan, on Thursday, claimed credit for the reduction in petroleum prices.

He said the protests outside parliament had forced the government’s hand and demanded that prices should be decreased by another Rs5.

In addition, he lashed out at Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and vowed to approach the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to challenge his assessment.

Mr Khan, who has previously derided the commission for being partisan and whose party has organised several protests against the ECP in the past, said, “Ayaz Sadiq, you are still in office due to a stay order. You have no authority to accept or reject our resignations.”

On Wednesday, the speaker had written to the ECP, expressing his inability to verify PTI legislators’ intention to quit the assembly.

Addressing a handful of followers from his container on D-Chowk on Friday night, he said he was not ready to accept Mr Sadiq as the speaker. He claimed that the government was trying to “buy the loyalties” of PTI members of the national and the provincial assemblies.

Published in Dawn, November 1st , 2014