Qureshi says PTI conspired against him in 2018 elections

MULTAN: PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Wednesday complained that the PTI had sabotaged his election in 2018 when he contested the poll from PP-217.

Addressing the party workers during the election campaign of Zain Qureshi, the PTI candidate in PP-217 by-poll, Qureshi criticised the PTI for sabotaging his election in 2018. “My party (PTI) conspired against me in the general elections 2018 that resulted in my defeat. I openly announce that the PTI defeated me and I then complained to Imran Khan,” he said, adding that if he had been elected as an MPA, Punjab would have been in a better position under his leadership today. He said people opposed him for fielding his son Zain Qureshi as an MPA candidate. They told him if Zain Qureshi lost his election, it would bring disgrace to him. He said there were some wars that were not fought only for victory.

Earlier, talking to journalists, he said the imported rulers were responsible for the current wave of price hike and were preparing to further increase fuel and electricity prices. He said the prime victims of government policies were the poor classes and they would be deprived of bread and butter. The unabated loadshedding was destroying businesses and industrial growth had been stalled. The levy of 10pc super tax would destroy the industry and business. The government ordered an increase in workers’ salaries, but the order was not implemented. Those who left Imran Khan were disturbed and hopeless.

Qureshi said petroleum, electricity and gas prices had been increased by 300 times in the last two months and the prices of pulses, rice and spices had gone beyond the reach of a layman. He said that not hundreds but thousands of workers were losing their jobs everyday and the poor didn't have enough to eat.