Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has announced that his party would contest the Senate elections to be held in March but would not return to the assemblies till the formation of the proposed judicial commission.
Addressing a press conference in Jeddah before returning to Pakistan after performing umra, Khan said it is the party’s constitutional right to contest Senate elections.
Replying to a question, Khan said that PTI demands a powerful judicial commission to probe alleged election rigging “but the government is bent upon appointing a commission that is powerless and weak”.
Khan said that the petrol crisis and other problems would not have hit Pakistan if officials had been appointed to on merit.
Slamming Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for playing the role of a friendly opposition, Khan added that he was “highly disappointed” by the role of former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
“Iftikhar Chaudhry tried to cover up rigged elections,” Khan alleged, adding that transparent elections are not possible without an independent judiciary and independent media.
“There would be no use of holding elections under the present system,” he said.
Khan lashed out at the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, saying it has broken the corruption record of the previous Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)-led government.
He said that due to non-availability of furnace oil, electricity load shedding was increasing “which highlights the inefficiency of the government”.
“Previously, the government blamed PTI’s sit-in for every problem encountered by the masses, now it should tell the people why petrol and electricity are not available even when PTI is not staging sit-ins,” said the PTI chief, adding that during the umra, he prayed for the martyrs of Peshawar and for the prosperity, development and stability of Pakistan.
The PTI chief also expressed grief over the demise of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.
