'Azadi' march: PTI warns of prolonged sit-in if re-election demand not met
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Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, PTI chief said party workers would block roads all over Pakistan if the government tries to put him under house arrest.
Later, quoting the chairman, founding PTI member Naeemul Haq said that the Aug 14 rally will not retreat from the capital until the demand for re-election is fulfilled.
“We want re-election, after which there will be an interim set-up. ECP members will have to resign and electoral laws will need to be reformed. Only then can a new election be held,” he said.
Addressing the press conference, Imran said that Pakistan had not seen true democracy ever since Independence in 1947, and vowed to reveal evidence of rigging in past elections in Pakistan on August 11.
“On August 11, I will reveal exactly how the elections were rigged and by whom,” he said.
Imran said the independence that Pakistan had acquired had been stolen from its citizens.
He said that his party had accepted the 2013 election results but had only asked for the results of four constituencies to be re-checked.
The PTI chief said that the 2013 polls had been the worst-rigged elections in the history of Pakistan.
Imran alleged that ballot boxes were stuffed with extra votes in 90 constituencies, “particularly Mianwali where 20,000 extra votes were added”.
He said PTI leaders have spent millions of rupees trying to investigate what happened in the elections.
He reiterated that the PTI tried every legal avenue, from the Election Commission to the Supreme Court, to seek justice, but “now you will see us on the streets of Islamabad.”
“Under article 6 of the constitution, we will also demand for the arrest and punishment of those returning officers and ECP officials who were involved in rigging,” he said.
He vowed that on August 14, his party would hold the largest protest in the history of the country.