The PTI lashed out on Monday at the incumbent government over the recent by-elections, alleging it revived the 1971 blueprint for stripping the people of their mandate to prolong its rule.

According to provisional results, the PML-N won all six National Assembly (NA) seats and six of seven Punjab Assembly seats up for grabs. One provincial seat was won by the PPP, which fielded its candidates in only three of the 13 constituencies.

Most of these seats were vacated following the disqualification of PTI members due to their convictions in May 9 cases.

Reacting to the results, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram slammed the authorities for repeating history’s “gravest mistakes”.

He insisted that the country was on the verge of security, economic, political and social collapse, and urged the authorities to learn from past mistakes by taking corrective and remedial measures instead of repeating old blunders while expecting different results.

Akram recalled that, just like the Awami League, the PTI secured a landslide victory in the February 8, 2024, general election, only to be “robbed” of its mandate, with a subsequent spree of disqualifications against PTI candidates under flimsy excuses and the denial of reserved seats.

He pointed out that in the 1970 election, the Awami League, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won a clear majority, but the party was deliberately cut down by declaring around 183 seats vacant, depriving it of the ability to form a government both at the federal level and in East Pakistan.

The PTI spokesperson expressed surprise at why the government was so adamant on replicating the same disastrous model of 1971, noting that those who repeated a calamitous model while expecting different results were “living in a fool’s paradise”.

He stated that instead of recognising the gravity of the situation and taking remedial measures to pull the country out of a deep abyss, the rulers were busy taking steps to perpetuate their rule, caring for nothing but retaining power.

Akram emphasised that such “controlled and rigged” polls could never serve as a true measure of PTI or former prime minister Imran Khan’s popularity.

He recalled that Imran had repeatedly demonstrated the overwhelming public support for him in the past.

The PTI spokesperson warned that even the PPP had not learned from past mistakes, as it allowed itself to be exploited for petty political gains and expediencies, ultimately paying a heavy price.

“Now, after securing a simple majority, PML-N could reveal its true colours and give the party a cold shoulder,“ he noted.

He challenged the government to announce fresh elections and dared all political forces to unite under one election symbol against the PTI. He vowed that the PTI would not just defeat, but obliterate all rival parties from the political landscape.