KHUSHAB – Ousted prime minister Imran Khan said once again on Friday that a man based in Lahore was trying to help the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) win the by-elections in Punjab, but vowed to foil all his “attempts to rig the polls”.
By-elections are being held on 20 seats of the Punjab Assembly that fell vacant after the Election Commission of Paistan (ECP) de-seated 20 MPAs of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on May 20 for crossing the floor and voting for PML-N leader Hamza Shahbaz in the election for Punjab chief minister’s office.
Speaking to a rally in Khushab, Khan said Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz would not be able to secure his position after the by-elections that would be held on July 17.
Referring to the unnamed man who was allegedly helping the PML-N manipulate the by-elections in Punjab, Khan said, “A man is based in Lahore who has a single mission to make these thieves win the elections. I want to tell the Lahore man that whatever you do, it is you who will end up in embarrassment.
“People will curse you. No matter what you do and how much rigging you do, the by-election result next Sunday will see Hamza lose his position,” Imran said without naming the man in question.
Speaking to senior journalists earlier in the day, Khan said he had no disagreements with the “neutrals”, questioning why should he get into a quarrel with them.
“Weakening the ‘neutrals’ means strengthening the enemy and only the country will suffer during this fight,” he said. Regarding chances of him being arrested, he said if the government wants to arrest him, they can do so.
