Efforts being made to run poll campaign on religious grounds: Fawad

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Information Secretary, Fawad Chaudhry has expressed fear and concern over what he said were efforts being made to run the election campaign on the basis of religious grounds.

While addressing a media conference here on Monday, Fawad condemned and expressed concern over the recent statements by former premier Nawaz Sharif and claimed his party is making concerted efforts to turn the elections controversial and added that Nawaz's anti- institutional narrative which started with the DawnLeaks has harmed Pakistan. Fawad said it is because of this narrative that Pakistan was placed in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list. “We strongly condemn the PML-N’s narrative aimed at making the election controversial. The PML-N and Nawaz are making the military and judiciary controversial,” he asserted. He said Nawaz is unhappy that the institutions, which used to support him, are not siding with him today and that is why he is now trying to boycott the elections. “Whether or not to boycott is a political party’s own decision, but the PPP suffered massively after boycotting the 1985 elections,” he recalled. “Nawaz is responsible for the inflation and the most recent price hike in petroleum products,” he maintained.

The PTI leader said they have already been saying that Ishaq Dar and Miftah Ismail’s policies would render Pakistan financially bankrupt and the statistics coming up now are proving us true. He maintained that the PTI would not accept delay in the polls under any circumstance and added they had earlier supported a delay of one or two months but that is the thing of the past now his party and the nation is geared up for the electoral exercise.

He said that it appears that besides PTI, no political party is carrying out a political campaign. Fawad emphasised that if voted into power, the PTI would see the timely completion of the merger of Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Urging the protestors from Fata to vote for PTI, he contended, “we sympathise with Fata’s demands for holding election there too, but at the moment the demand is to ensure the general elections are held on July 25 as scheduled.”

About the book of ex-spouse of Imran Khan, Reham Khan, he said it has fizzled out even before printing. He also criticised ex-CJP and claimed he has also met failure before takeoff.

The PTI leader strongly condemned the stone pelting at the caravan of PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Fawad said they have requested the Election Commission for removal of all the provincial governors including that of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who could influence the elections. He pointed out that the son of Punjab governor is also taking part in elections, while the brother of Mehmood Achakzai is the governor of Balochistan.