LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Senate candidates from Islamabad, federal finance minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh and Fauzia Arshad, along with some other federal ministers arrived in Lahore on Saturday for their election campaign.

The Senate candidates held a meeting with Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar at the Governor House and discussed the upcoming polls, to ensure that the PTI and allied parties’ National Assembly members vote for the party candidates.

The governor assured the candidates that the PTI members would definitely vote for them. He said the PTI allies were also standing with the party candidates, hoping it would win the both Senate seats from Islamabad.

PPP seeks ECP action over the joint presser

Dr Sheikh and Ms Arshad, who are being accompanied by federal minister retired Brig Ejaz Shah, PTI Chief Whip in the National Assembly Malik Amir Dogar, MNA retired Brig Rahat Amanullah, MNA Chaudhry Shaukat Ali Bhatti and others. The team is expected to hold meetings with the party MNAs from Lahore.

Later, at a press conference at the Governor House, finance minister Dr Sheikh said the Senate election was not between him and Yousaf Raza Gilani, but it was a contest between the two parties.

Stating that he had worked with Mr Gillani, when the latter was serving as the country’s prime minister, Dr Sheikh said, “I want this election to be completely transparent and there should be no buying and selling [of votes]”.

Dr Sheikh said the government had approached the International Monetary Fund (IMF) due to the compulsion to make the country economically strong. In the previous government’s tenure, he said, the dollar reserves had dipped drastically.

He claimed the PTI government had adopted austerity measures, beginning from the Prime Minister House.

The governor denied there were any differences within the PTI, and said the party MNAs might have reservations over some issues, but all of them were united under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan. He said the PTI allies were also standing firm with the government.

“Winning both federal seats of the Senate by the PTI will prove that all the party members have fought the election of Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh and Fauzia Arshad as their own election,” the governor said.

Mr Sarwar said the PTI government and people of the country needed services of finance minister Dr Sheikh as he “saved Pakistan from economic crisis and made it economically prosperous” under the leadership of Imran Khan.

“Pakistan will be stronger, more successful and prosperous in the future,” he predicted.

Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood said the PML-N was declaring only those elections transparent that it was winning, when it lost it started crying rigging.

He stressed that the PML-N should accept all election results to strengthen democracy in the country.

PPP REACTS: Meanwhile, the PPP has expressed its strong reservations over the Punjab Governor and Dr Hafeez Sheikh’s joint press conference at the Governor House and sought the Election Commission of Pakistan should take notice of the activity.

PPP Secretary General Syed Nayyar Husain Bukhari said the joint presser by the governor and the PTI Senate candidate was tantamount to pre-poll rigging and alleged that Chaudhry Sarwar had become PTI Senate election campaign in charge.

Mr Bukhari regretted the governor, while using his office, sought MNAs’ votes for Dr Sheikh and added the presser was a bid to influence the Senate elections.

“The ECP should take notice of converting the Governor House into the PTI’s election office as well as the governor’s political activities,” Mr Bukhari demanded.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2021