News Analysis |
Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan has said that he will hit the roads in a bid to forestall rigging and pre-poll gimmickries of the status quo. In a television interview on Thursday, the 64-year old Khan exuded confidence to take on his opponents in the days to come.
Khan was categorical in saying that his party will put forward demands for ensuring free and fair elections and if demands are not met then street power will be used. He said that this time his party will not lament about rigging after the elections but will make sure that the umpires are neutral.
While the smear campaign goes on with the help of overt support by N League members and the sudden proliferation of fake Twitter accounts, PTI will look to ramp-up pressure on the bruised N-League.
will not allow a no2 type Election have given a list of demands & hope umpires will be neutral or we will take to the streets 9/20 #IKonARY pic.twitter.com/CTJWXKEEhj
— PTI (@PTIofficial) August 4, 2017
Read more: ECP bars Shehbaz from taking part in NA-120 poll
Khan led a massive campaign against rigging in the 2013 General Elections. His demand to open 4 constituencies were refused which led to a 126-day sit-in outside the parliament in 2014. It is expected that PTI will be well-prepared and hence will build up the pressure in order to disallow pre-polling tinkering and tweaking.
Khan said that his nemeses in N League like and GEO were using Gulalai to discredit him and that more such methods will be used to deter him.
Khan also vociferously said that the decision of the Supreme Court is not being accepted in letter and spirit.” They will go to every length to hide their corruption,” he said Khan. After the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif, he has chaired party meetings, taken decisions and issued directives. PML-N leaders take to Twitter and speeches to criticize the Supreme Court and hail Sharif as the actual Prime Minister. This has been dubbed as illegal and a contempt of the court’s order.
Khan said that the Sharifs are making a mockery of democracy, which he said is a system based on meritocracy and accountability. He further went on to say that if any top man is found dishonest in Western democracies, he is thrown out. He again iterated that the Sharif dynasty acts as if Pakistan is a monarchy.
Read more: Rana Sanaullah still hopeful about Nawaz’s chances in 2018
Besides destroying the morals in the country Look in any democracy if you’re not Sadiq or Ameen or caught you have to vacate 14/20 #IKonARY pic.twitter.com/N4RIInQQEw
— PTI (@PTIofficial) August 4, 2017
Khan expressed his disappointment over her remarks as he felt that she had potential to do well.
Sensing that the campaign to buy-off his supporters is underway, he said that it is a hallmark of the Sharifs. He felt that such times tell the real character of a person. Therefore, Khan said that he ordained CM KPK Pervaiz Khattak not to make any counter offers.
The Gulalai episode
Reacting to Ayesha Gulalai’s allegations against himself, Khan said that he was surprised since a day before she was asking for a ticket. Khan expressed his disappointment over her remarks as he felt that she had potential to do well. However, Khan reminded the reporters of the channel that it is an old tactic that N League has employed in the past.
I know it’s a coordinated attack and who is behind it like PMLN, Amir Maqam and Media Godfather Mir Shakil 4/20 #IKonARY pic.twitter.com/UbuYxSp51Y
— PTI (@PTIofficial) August 4, 2017
Khan said that his nemeses in N League like and GEO were using Gulalai to discredit him and that more such methods will be used to deter him.
Read more: Of Gulalai and Articles 62/63: PML-N’s new strategy to disqualify…
Khan said that the Sharifs are making a mockery of democracy, which he said is a system based on meritocracy and accountability.
Observers are of the opinion that since Khan’s disqualification case looks weak, the N League could whip up this and other such issues to force the court to invoke Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution. The extensive coverage given to Gulalai by GEO has raised questions aplenty. In all earnestness, it gives weight to Khan’s viewpoint about the GEO-N nexus.
While the smear campaign goes on with the help of overt support by N League members and the sudden proliferation of fake Twitter accounts, PTI will look to ramp-up pressure on the bruised N-League. The battle for Lahore will kick-start this new campaign, which will lead well into next year. The legal battles will be supplemented by street protests and electioneering campaigns. The PTI-PML-N tiff will dominate the political scaffold in the days to come.