Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has gone to the extent of seeking the help of his “foreign friends” to save his skin from corruption allegations.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will hold the by-election in PP-232 Vehari on Wednesday.
Addressing a public meeting in Gaggo Mandi, Burewala, in connection with the election campaign of PP-232 by-election,Khan alleged that Nawaz Sharif was destroying key institutions to hide his corruption. He also said the PTI would take out a huge rally on September 3 in Lahore and appealed to people from all walks of life to participate in it.
Khan once again demanded launching a Rangers-led operation in Punjab on the pattern of Karachi because in his views “police in the province have been completely politicised by the Sharifs”.
“The demand to launch a Rangers-led operation is being made on the merit because no institution is working independently in Punjab,” he said, adding, “It has become the most corrupt province in the country.”
He accused the Sharif family of treating the country as their fiefdom and said: “save for a few, all state institutions have been politicised to the detriment of the country and what they (the PTI) were rallying against was the dysfunctional nature of state institutions”.
“Nawaz Sharif has been donning the cloak of ‘Amirul Momineen’ (absolute leader of the Muslims) and governing the country as if it is his kingdom.”
Imran said tax fraud, corruption and money laundering were severely damaging the country, adding that the PTI would not allow the PML-N to run away from Panama leaks issue.
Imran visited Gaggo Mandi in connection with the by-election campaign of his party candidate Ayesha Nazir Jutt, who was contesting against Yosuaf Kasalia of the PML-N.
The seat fell vacant after the election tribunal had disqualified Kasalia over incorrect declaration of assets in his nomination papers for the 2013 general elections.
The ECP had barred PTI and PML-N leaders not to address rallies in PP-232 because of the announcement of the poll schedule but the PTI leadership went ahead with its plan.
According to constituency statistics, there are 191,092 voters while 109,000 are males and 81,911 females. It has set up 157 polling stations and 365 polling booths.
The main candidates are Chaudhry Muhammad Yousaf Kaseliya of the PML-N, a de-seated MPA, and Ayesha Nazir Jatt of the PTI.
