LAHORE: Amid strong criticism from all sides on the Senate resolution calling for a delay in elections, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb blamed rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for the move and said her party was the only one which opposed it in the upper house of parliament.
Talking to the media after appearing before an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Saturday, the former information minister said that polls in the country will be held as per schedule no matter who was behind the resolution.
The PML-N leader’s media talk focused on the non-binding resolution seeking a delay in the general elections passed by the Senate a day earlier.
Senator Dilawar Khan, an independent lawmaker, moved the resolution in the upper house of the parliament, which got the approval during the presence of 14 senators — who were the only lawmakers present in the house of 100.
PTI’s Senator Gurdeep Singh and Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) Behramand Tangi abstained from voting. Following the vote, the Senate chairman adjourned the session indefinitely.
Later, both the lawmakers were issued notices by their parties for their conduct during the session.
Lambasting PTI, Marriyum Aurangzeb said: “Elections will be on February 8 [even if] other parties cry or shout.”
Marriyum said the PTI under a well-thought-out plan first approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) and now moved the resolution in the Senate.
The former minister was referring to the petition filed by the PTI which led the LHC to suspend the notification of the appointment of ROs and AROs from the executive branch. The decision was later overturned by the Supreme Court.
“They remain quiet inside and then create a ruckus on the outside. We do not create drama outside the assembly,” she said about the PTI. In a jibe at PTI’s founding chairman Imran Khan, she warned him against issuing threats from the jail.
“The Pakistani people will not vote for them. The people of Pakistan want elections,” said Marriyum. She also shared that the PML-N's schedule for public gatherings will be decided next week.
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