PTI to win by-polls, Imran Khan dares ‘person sitting in Lahore’

SAHIWAL: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan Wednesday challenged ‘the person sitting in Lahore’ that the PTI would win the by-polls.

He challenged that no matter what the Sharifs do [in order to] attract voters for by-polls to be held in 20 constituencies on July 17, the PTI would still win. He said that they cannot win the by-elections even if they take favour of the umpire.

Addressing a public gathering in Chichawatani, the former prime minister said that people have very well-understood the lotas (turncoats) and ‘diesel’ (referring to JUIF chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman).

Khan urged the youth to make sure at least 10 youngsters are present at each polling station in order to stop them [PMLN] from rigging the elections. Accusing the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) of being involved in "ill-practices", Khan said, “The ECP is working along with them [PMLN] to help those thieves win and it has become unscrupulous." He said that ECP is doing all to ensure victory of Hamza Shehbaz in by-polls.

Khan went on to say that they [PMLN] have earned money through illegal means throughout their lives, adding that they haven’t even done one thing in their life faithfully. Regarding the dissident members, the PTI chairman warned them saying that the people of Pakistan will "never forgive them because they are supporting the thieves”. He said that he has been threatened to be put in jail if he does not stand by the thieves. He said that he would let them go scot-free even if they lodge five hundred cases against him.

He said that neither will the nation nor will history forgive them. He said that Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif have lust for money as both have ruined the country’s economy in two months. "They have committed economic murder of the farmers."

Khan, commenting on the arrest of senior journalist Imran Riaz Khan a day earlier, urged the coalition government to stop creating hurdles to freedom of expression by frightening the people from FIRs.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) rejected PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s allegation that the electoral body was working with the PMLN. The ECP’s statement came after former PM Imran Khan’s scathing criticism on the ECP saying that electoral body was working impartially taking no sides.