Multan by-polls were ‘bought’, claims Saad Rafique

Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique on Monday claimed that the recently-held by-polls in NA-149 Multan were ‘bought’.

“In Multan, notes won and votes lost,” Saad Rafique said while addressing a press conference along with Javed Hashmi, who lost the polls to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backed Malik Amir Dogar.

Since his fallout with PTI chairman Imran Khan, Hashmi has been backed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, of which he was a senior leader before joining the PTI.

Rafique was all praises for Hashmi, claiming he ‘idolised’ the veteran politician since the time he was a member of the PML-N.

“A hundred Imran Khans and a hundred Shah Mehmood Qureshis combined cannot make one Hashmi,” he said, adding that democracy needs Hashmi.

“Imran thinks that Hashmi’s political career is over with his defeat in the by-polls but he is mistaken,” Rafique said, adding, “Imran lost the war of ethics and principles.”

Addressing reporters, Hashmi said: “I lost the war of polls but won the battle for democracy.”