PTI shuns fears of close contest claiming majority in NA, PA to form govt

• Says Imran Khan sought support in bringing laundered money back in meetings with ambassadors 

• Claims oath-taking to take place after August 11

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Central Information Secretary Fawad Chaudhary on Saturday shunned fears of a close contest in forming government at both centre and in Punjab, reiterating the claim that eight independent candidates elected on the National Assembly (NA) seats and 26 on Punjab Assembly (PA) seats have joined PTI which has taken the tally of number of seats that PTI has to 177 in the NA and 186 in the PA.

He expressed these views talking to media at Bani Gala in Islamabad.

Chaudhry said his party’s government would make a strict policy against money laundering and would seek cooperation from other countries to purge the country of this menace.

“Bringing back the money taken illegally abroad is in the best interest of the country,” he said.

He said PTI chief Imran Khan in meetings with ambassadors of different countries, including the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Japan and Iran, had sought help in bringing back the money that had been laundered into their respective countries.

“The Avenfield money also belongs to Pakistanis and the government is bound to bring it back,” he opined.

He vowed that the PTI would make the government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with a two-third majority.

Clearing the air on the delay in taking the oath for the government, he said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would release official result of the general elections 2018 on August 7 after which the independents would be given three-day time to choose between joining a party or staying independent.  The, he said, the ECP would release notification for the reserved seats of women on August 11 which means that the parliament would be complete by August 11, adding that everything including the formation of the cabinet would be done after that.

He said following the PTI chief’s offer for recounting to address reservations of rivals, recounting was held for 48 seats and their results made no significant difference.

“The elections were organised by such election commission which was constituted by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP),” he said.

Fawad Chaudhry said Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman had natural disgruntlement against the largest party as he had lost the election on both the seats he contested on.