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Tuesday March 19, 2024

Another petition to ECP against rigging on Monday: Imran

Says no peace in Karachi till depoliticisation of police

By our correspondents
January 31, 2015
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan on Friday said that another petition against rigging in the general elections 2013 would be submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday. He noted that peace could not be restored in Karachi till the deploticisation of police.
Addressing a press conference after chairing the core committee meeting, Imran Khan said that they strongly condemned Altaf Hussain and his party, MQM, for hurling threats at businessmen in Karachi alleging this was a conspiracy, as already investors were not coming to Pakistan and unemployment was increasing.
“We stand by the businessmen of Karachi at this juncture. If threats are hurled at businessmen, they can shift their investment to Dubai,” he maintained while castigating the MQM and its leadership.
He said his party was still holding consultations whether or not to contest the upcoming Senate election.He said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak would take a decision on the matter once the consultation process was completed.
About some media reports, particularly on the social media that some of the PTI legislators belonging to the provincial assembly were being offered large amounts as price of their vote, Imran warned that those found guilty of selling their votes would be thrown out of the party.He said they would not mind if the PTI-led government in KP had to go in the process but they would not allow corruption during the Senate polls by their MPAs.
He maintained that senators in his opinion should be elected through secret voting.The PTI chief alleged that the government had pocketed Rs300 billion through the GST increase on POL products and now was planning to extract the same amount after levying a surcharge on electricity.
Imran emphasised that petrol price should be reduced to Rs58 from Rs78, alleging that just relief was not being given to public as per the ratio of fall in its rates in the global market.He claimed on one hand, the government had imposed new surcharge without taking approval from the National Assembly while on the other, the rulers wanted PTI to return to the same assembly.
Referring to Shikarpur massacre, Imran alleged the PML-N government had miserably failed in controlling the law and order situation. He also criticised the government for its poor governance.
Chief Election Commissioner Justice (R) Muhammad Raza Khan fixed Monday for a meeting with Imran, who wanted to discuss poll rigging-related matters with him. Imran had wished to have a meeting with Raza Khan.