Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz on Saturday declared Maryam Nawaz’s press conference as self-contradictory and said that she did not understand the dynamics of elections.
In a statement, the minister said that on one hand, she is praising the Election Commission of Pakistan by saying that local administration was missing in action yet on the other hand she is crying over ‘rigging’. “How can the rigging be managed without ECP or local administration and police support?” he questioned. “Either Maryam is too naive and does not understand the dynamics of elections or she is living up to her reputation to lie and cry foul come what may,” he added.
Shibli Faraz said Maryam has made a mockery of herself in media because of her claim to fame statement about her assets in Pakistan and abroad and forgery of font by tempering the affidavit in Supreme Court. “PML-N accepts only the election results where it wins, otherwise, the party creates a drama about rigging. This duality of purpose wont serve,” he added.
He said that these seats were considered as PML-N seats and the worrisome point for Maryam is that they have lost their big margins of winning and the PTI candidate in Daska has secured victory as per reports. He said that bullying, threatening and violence are the hallmarks of the PML-N.
He said that PTI loss in Nowshera was bad but it was not due to loss of popularity but because of the loss of loyalty. He said that action has been taken and the people responsible have been punished for selling their souls. He said that today the institutions are free and ECP statement is manifestation of this fact and no such examples can be given from the past.
Shibli said hearing of the issue would be held at ECP on coming Tuesday. He said that ECP is an independent institution and all should respect its decision.
Shibli Faraz said that results received by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf polling agents in NA-75 Daska suggest it has won the bye-election by over 7,000 votes margin. He said that in this constituency, PTI had lost by over 30,000 votes in the last election.
Shibli said that Daska firing incident has proved that the PML-N believes in the politics of bullying, rigging and violence. PML-N gangs had taken polling stations hostage and tarnished the image of the vote, he said.
He said that PTI wants transparency in elections while the opposition wants continuity of politics of sale and purchase and use of money. He vowed that those responsible for the Daska incident would be brought to justice. He expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives of the workers in the Daska firing incident. He prayed to Allah Almighty to rest the souls of the victims in eternal peace and give patience to their families.
Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar lashed out at the opposition, stating that the parties accept the results only when they win and reject them when they lose. “The Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) manifesto seems to be that only those results will be accepted where they are successful. Where they lose, they will start crying foul,” he said. “The PTI has won from NA-75,” he said, urging the opposition to ‘have strength’ and accept the public’s decision.
Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain congratulated PTI candidate Ali Asjad Malhi on ‘conquering the Daska battle’ and demanded the ECP to announce the result ‘immediately’. “The patience of PTI workers should not be tested,” he said in a tweet. “Respect will be for the law, not for [PML-N].”
In another tweet, Fawad said that it is the “first time in Pakistan, an election has been held in which there is no government interference”. “[During] by-elections which were conducted by PPP and PML-N, people used to say that the elections are formal, the government will end up winning. Look at their attitude even now, elections are [termed as] fair where they win [but if] they lose they scream rigging.”
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Political Communication Shehbaz Gill alleged the election of PTI was stolen in Wazirabad, however, the Election Commission of Pakistan would be requested to hold inquiry in this regard.
Addressing a press conference at the residence of PTI candidate Ch Yousaf, the SAPM also alleged that PML-N used negative tactics to win the by-election as its MPAs with ballots bags were roaming with impunity on city roads on the day of by-election. He also alleged that PML-N workers besieged the ECP office in Wazirabad and even hooliganism was carried out at a women polling booth.
