Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Society (PESS) President retired Lt Gen Abdul Qayyum has said candidates who contested the Feb 8 general elections must accept the results.

“If someone got a result against them, then they must sit in the opposition and there is no harm in it,” he told a presser in Islamabad.

Without naming anyone, Qayyum said: “You had taken to the streets before, derailed the system and attacked the military establishment but the results of all such actions are known to everyone.”

He said “innocent people” must not be misguided. “Election results must be accepted and the Election Commission of Pakistan and courts are proper forums, which must be approached if anyone has complaints.”

He also urged stakeholders not to “defame big institutions like the Pakistan Army and the judiciary”.