PTI’s Chaudhry Sarwar challenges Ayaz Sadiq

LAHORE (Online) - Senior leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Pakistan (PTI), Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, on Tuesday expressed his disappointment over Supreme Court’s verdict which stayed Oct 11 by-polls in NA-154 (Lodhran).

“Siddique Baloch is trying to hide behind legal courts. He is aware of his definite defeat against Jahangir Tareen, hence the PML-N is in search of an escape route out of by-elections,” he said while addressing a press conference here.

Earlier in the day, Supreme Court suspended an election tribunal’s decision to order reelection on National Assembly seat, NA-154, (Lodhran) in Punjab. The apex court also restored assembly memberships of PML-N’s MNA Siddique Baloch who won the constituency in 2013 election and was declared ineligible over his fake academic degree on August 26 by a local election tribunal in Multan.

The ruling came 12 days before the scheduled by-polls in the constituency where opponent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and other parties were all set to contest the polls.

“The court's verdict has disappointed the masses and PTI…. The democratic ways have been blocked out for PTI, and when democratic processes are halted; other means are exploited,” Chaudhry Sarwar said.

“If PMLN wasn't interested in contesting the polls then why did it create the drama to begin with? They sensed a clear defeat so they decided to run away from the battlefield… they cannot face PTI in court of the people,” he lambasted the ruling party.

Claiming that PML-N was trying to run away from Oct 11 by-elections in NA-122, he challenged PML-N candidate, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, for a contest in the by-polls.

“Ayaz Sadiq also wants to escape from NA-122 by-elections, I challenge him to contest against me” he asserted, and claimed that Ayaz Sadiq also wanted to seek court’s stay for the by-elections.