LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry says the party has filed a petition under article 62-F before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the disqualification of 19 turncoats who are now contesting by-elections on PML-N tickets.

At a news conference at the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday, he claimed the ECP could decide about disqualifying the turncoats in a matter of couple of days because it was supposed to implement the principles laid down by the Supreme Court.

He said the PML-N decision to give tickets to PTI turncoats had disappointed the Muslim League’s genuine workers and they were showing least interest in the elections, and added the polls had become a one-sided affair for the PTI. For the election campaign, he said, the PML-N leadership had to get resignations from half of the cabinet because it was not satisfied with the campaign by Maryam.

He said the MQM and BAP would say goodbye to the PML-N-led government on July 23 to eventually topple this government by July 30.

Former governor Omer Sarfraz Cheema chided the civil administration and police for raiding a corner meeting of PTI candidate Malik Nawaz Awan. It’s a clear-cut violation of Hamza’s promise in the Supreme Court, he said. He stressed that the ECP should take notice of violence in by-election constituencies and registration of fake cases by police against the PTI leaders.

The former minister said police were acting at the behest of the PML-N and registered a case against PTI candidate Moazzam Jatoi in Muzaffargarh and harassed Yasir Jatoi besides political workers joining the PTI in Jhang, Layyah and Bhakkar.

He said the Establishment should beware that Rana Sanaullah and Atta Tarar were doing illegal activities and rigging but eventually shift the blame on state institutions. He also chided Rana Sana over his comment that the CNICs of those persons who would chant “lotay” (turncoats) or “chorr” (thieves) slogans against the PML-N leaders would be blocked.

“Rana Sana would need to block CNICs of all Pakistanis because everyone in the country is chanting these slogans,” he said.

He said the PTI had also filed a petition challenging pre-poll rigging before the ECP. He said Hamza was sticking to the chief minister secretariat just to use government vehicles and petrol.

“It is time that the state institutions and elite let the ‘soft revolution’ come through the votes of the people because any blockade would result in ‘hard revolution’,” he said.

He said Pakistan did not see Sri Lanka-like situation because Imran Khan played an active role as opposition leader, which was not a case in Sri Lanka. He welcomed PML-N’s decision to lower petrol prices because it would serve as a relief for the public.

Earlier, Fawad Chaudhry and Omer Cheema called on Punjab Assembly Speaker Parvez Elahi and discussed the situation of the by-elections in 20 constituencies.

Elahi said the PML-N until yesterday was chanting the slogan “Respect the Vote” but now brazenly chanting the slogan “Vote for the Turncoats”. He said the people now knew the reality of imposters like Shehbaz. For the first time in the history, he said, the government had not found a candidate against the opposition.

Chaudhry said the arrests in the by-election constituencies were a sign of government’s bewilderment.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2022