Imran no more PM after cabinet rejects summary, claims Abbasi

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Thursday said Imran Khan should know that morally he was no more prime minister after the federal cabinet had rejected his summary for import of sugar and other items from India.

Addressing a press conference here with Ahsan Iqbal, Abbasi demanded that the Supreme Court should expose those behind the kidnapping of polling staff in NA-75 Daska by-elections in the light of geo-fencing report of the presiding officers.

“This is not only a matter of results of by-elections, but also of kidnapping of the polling staff to steal the elections,” he said. Alleging that the government was responsible for the whole situation, Abbasi said it was now binding on the Supreme Court to expose those behind attempting to steal the elections.

He said the report had revealed that the presiding officer were kept at the same place after ‘kidnapping’ from the polling stations. “They were kept at the same place for 12 hours after the end of polling time to change the number of votes,” he said, adding that those who were now talking about electoral reforms were responsible for the situation.

He said it was the same model that was used in the 2018 general elections when the RTS [result transmission system] had failed. He also referred to an incident in which the presiding officers were being taken in the Rangers’ vehicle.

“I hope that the Supreme Court would try to find out as to who tried to steal the elections,” he said. Ahsan said the data of geo-fencing report had, for the first time, proved an organised rigging.

He said it was not a matter of only 20 polling stations, as the whole election process in 350 polling stations had become doubtful. “This is a more serious issue than the Panama scam and we hope that the Supreme Court will uphold the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan of re-polling in all polling stations,” he said.

He said accepting re-polling in only 20 polling stations would mean giving bailout package to the hands involved in attempting to steal the elections. “With whose permission, the district administration, federal agencies and police became part of the organised conspiracy of stealing Daska elections?” he asked.

He said those involved in the ugly game, which also claimed lives of two political workers, should be taken to task.

Ahsan Iqbal said whosoever was trying to rig the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections would be considered a friend of Indian Prime Minister Modi and following his narrative. Earlier addressing a press conference in Lahore, Ahsan said the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) parties were united and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had cut a bad deal by allying with the ruling party in the Senate elections.

Ahsan said the PDM would send the government packing soon. He said the PDM struggle was aimed at getting rid of Imran Khan and putting the country on the right track. He said the government was avenging on the PML-N leadership by registering false cases, which was unfortunate.

He said the government was still looking for a professional finance minister though three years of its tenure had passed. “The selfishness of Imran Khan has destroyed the country,” he said, adding that the country was constantly developing during the PML-N era.

“Pakistan does not need any enemy today because Imran Niazi has done enough damage to the country,” he said, adding that the country had been damaged to such an extent that no enemy could not do that even after spending billions of dollars.

Ahsan said the people were unable to pay electricity bills due to poor economic policies of the government while food items had gone out of their reach.

Answering a question about the government’s action against the sugar and flour mafia, Ahsan termed it a drama and questioned who had been arrested even after investigation into embezzlement of billions of rupees.

He said Nawaz Sharif used to talk about relations with India keeping in view the national interests but slogans were chanted against him and today the incumbent government was making all types of deals with India.

He asked if the disputed status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K) had returned and who was behind starting trade with India. He alleged that whosoever was doing this had compromised the national interest.

“The only way to save the country is to have fair and transparent elections,” he added. Ahsan Iqbal said the PML-N also had an economic programme, economic experience and economic team and today everyone was benefiting from the projects started by them.

He said the government had not been able to protect the corona vaccine because either it had been wasted or misappropriated by the VIPs. He said the incompetence of the government could be gauged from the fact that it was unable to manage anything including corona, economy and foreign affairs.

Ahsan said the government had destroyed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). “Had there been the PML-N in government, the CPEC portfolio would have reached over Rs100 billion today,” he added.