ISLAMABAD, Sept 17: The Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf has said that the king’s party has launched a media campaign against its leader Imran Khan, and asked the Election Commission to look into the matter and take action against those responsible.
Speaking at a press conference here on Tuesday, Akbar S. Babar, PTI’s Secretary Information, said: “Since the PTI has exposed most of the Gujrat mafia’s wrongdoings, including loan write-off, and open government support to the king’s party candidates, its leadership has become a target of character assassination and mud-slinging.”
The spokesman said such steps of the government were pushing the opposition parties to get united on the one-point agenda of ensuring free and fair polls.
He referred to an advertisement appeared in a section of the press on Tuesday in which Imran Khan, Chairman PTI, was shown welcoming Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Chairman People’s Party Parliamentarians, in his office along with his (Imran’s) statement of 1998 when he had promised never to shake hands with Benazir Bhutto.
He also distributed copies of Imran Khan’s letter to the chief election commissioner, asking the CEC to help stop the campaign launched by the government-supported elements under pseudo names.
In his letter, Imran Khan referred to an advertisement which, he claimed, was violative of the code of conduct issued by the Election Commission and appeared to be a part of the campaign to malign the PTI and its leadership.
“The advertisement has been sponsored by an unknown organization called Anjuman Insidad-i-Munafiqeen. I urge the Election Commission to investigate the credentials of this organization, it’s source of funding and the persons who manage this organization. I am confident that impartial investigations would establish beyond any doubt the bogus credentials of this organization and the mala fide intentions of the sponsors of the advertisement campaign,” the letter said.
Imran Khan demanded of the Election Commission to immediately take action against civil servants and government officials involved in the electioneering of the king’s party, including dismissal from services.