Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid on Saturdayhas said that the entire country is proud of Sadiq Khan’s victory, son a Pakistani immigrant in London against Conservative Party’s Zac Goldsmith in mayoral election.
Rashid congratulated Labour Party’s Sadiq Khan, first Muslim mayor of London.
The government representative availed the opportunity to criticise Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan. He said that Sadiq Khan’s win has refuted claims of PTI chief about his popularity outside Pakistan.
Goldsmith is brother to PTI chief’s ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith. Rashid said that Khan was supporting an election campaign against a Pakistan-born candidate. Londoners have rejected Khan’s ‘politics of lies’, he added.
Rashid said that election of a Pakistan-born candidate as London’s mayor is a joyous occasion for all Pakistanis. Goldsmith’s defeat against Sadiq Khan has made people’s stance on many controversial issues evident, he said.
Opposition Labour Party’s Khan won on Friday with 57 percent votes. Khan, son of an immigrant bus driver, won 1,310,143 votes against 994,614 main rival Goldsmith.
Zac and sister Jemima both forwarded their congratulations to Khan after his victory was made public.
Goldsmith is a multimillionaire environmentalist from Prime Minister (PM) David Cameron’s Conservative Party.
Goldsmith was criticised by several sections for resorting to negative politics by stereotyping Khan and accusing him of sympathizing with terrorists.