Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan on Sunday thanked the youth and women of Pakistan for their overwhelming response to the party in general elections of Pakistan.
“I’m thankful to the people of Pakistan, especially the youngsters who queued up for hours to cast their votes for a new Pakistan,” the bedridden Khan said while talking to a private television channel from Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital Lahore.
He has been hospitalised after sustaining head and back injuries after falling from a lifter at a PTI gathering in Lahore last week.
Khan’s PTI has emerged the second biggest party in Pakistan followed by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) and others.
Many of the urban youths were voting for the first time in May 11 elections that saw a robust turnout of 60 percent.
Imran Khan won three of four National Assembly seats. He secured National Assembly seats in Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Mianwali, but was defeated in PML-N stronghold Lahore.
The PTI almost demolished its opponents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Khan bemoaned the vote-rigging in Karachi and vowed to issue a whitepaper “to indicate flaw in the balloting process”.
He said the PTI was gathering evidences on changing of voting results in Karachi.
“I regret the rigging, but I’m optimistic that people of Pakistan have developed political maturity,” Khan said in his video message.
Khan said Pakistan was moving towards democracy and the current elections were a victory for the democratic system.
Imran Khan alleged that elections in Punjab were unfair and clearly rigged. He said announcement of re-polling in Karachi was proof of rigging of elections there. The PTI chief also hinted at sitting in the opposition.
Khan termed the transfer of power a welcoming step, adding that the country had for the first time witnessed such a huge turnout.
He said the Punjab administration made ‘changes’ in the election results after Nawaz Sharif’s speech and winning candidates of the PTI started loosing afterwards.
He said all proofs of rigging were available, but despite the defeat, the passion of the youth was admirable.
“I have never been this happy in 17 years, as much as I was happy to see the youth’s passion,” he added.
He said winning and losing was part of the game.
“The PTI has laid the foundation of a new Pakistan and efforts in this direction would continue.”
Khan said if he got the chance, the PTI would make an ideal government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.