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Thursday March 28, 2024

Upcoming Senate polls: Khattak accuses PDM of horse-trading in KP, Balochistan

By Mushtaq Paracha
March 01, 2021

NOWSHERA: Federal Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak alleged on Sunday the component parties of the opposition’s Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) had launched horse-trading for the upcoming Senate elections.

He said this while speaking as a chief guest at a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers convention in Tangi Khattak area of the Nowshera district. The National Assembly Standing Committee on Power and Energy Chairman Dr Imran Khattak, Ishaq Khattak, Mian Umar Kakakhel, Shaukat Ali Khattak and Yasir Khan Khattak spoke on the occasion.

Pervez Khattak alleged that a group of dishonest people was busy in the purchase and sale of the assembly members in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan for the elections for the upper house of the parliament.

The defence minister said the Charter of Democracy called for an open ballot for the Senate elections. “The parties whose leaders had inked the charter are now opposing the open ballot,” he said while accusing them of hampering the constitutional amendment for the purpose.

Pervez Khattak said Prime Minister Imran Khan had unveiled the real face of the opposition to the people of the country. “I am sure the PTI legislators would foil all the conspiracies,” he added.

Continuing his tirade against the PDM, he alleged that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and other parties in the PDM used money during the recent by-election on PK-63 in Nowshera and plotted against the PTI in league with the returning officers and other polling staff.

The federal minister renewed his claim that the PK-63 by-poll was stolen from the PTI through crooked practices. He alleged that there was a difference of 6,000 votes in the forms 45 and 46. He claimed that there was a difference of 700 to 1,500 votes at some polling stations while a difference of 50 to 100 ballots was seen at almost all the polling stations.

Pervez Khattak alleged that a woman presiding officer had clearly noted on Form 46 that more than the actual number of votes were polled at her polling station. He said the ruling party had submitted the proof of alleged rigging with the petition filed at the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) whose hearing was expected to commence on Monday. The defence minister said the PTI had demanded the ECP to hold re-polling in PK-63 seat and withhold the victory notification of the PML-N Candidate, Ikhtiar Wali Khan. He felt that the PTI vote-bank had gone up and the opposition movement against the government was destined to fail.