GUJAR KHAN: Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday said those who chant “Vote ko izzat do” (give respect to vote) slogan bought votes for Rs2,000 for the upcoming by-election in Lahore.

He was referring to a viral video in which PML-N workers allegedly distributed cash among people for votes in a constituency of Lahore.

Addressing a public gathering in Pind Dadan Khan, the minister said PML-N had similarly lured voters during the 2016 by-election in Jhelum and this was the system against which Imran Khan had taken a stand.

“I hope that when the offices of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would open on Monday, they would take notice of the matter and would ask the PML-N how getting votes by distributing money was service to democracy and giving respect to the ballot.”

The minister said when the PTI government wanted to use electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the next general elections the PML-N and PPP felt perturbed because these people came to power through a ‘specific system’ and their whole election system was based on rigging.

Advising PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz and her husband retired Captain Mohammad Safdar, the minister said they should bid adieu to politics, adding that whenever their case was about to be heard in courts, they leaked fake videos to pressure judges and state institutions.

“Maryam Nawaz had said she did not own any property in London and even in Pakistan but after Panama Leaks we came to know that she owned property worth billions not only in Pakistan but also abroad. We repeatedly ask them to show receipts else there are only two options: to return the money or go to jail,” Mr Chaudhry said.

He said the PTI would not only complete its five-year term but also win the next elections.

Moreover, the minister told his party workers from his constituency to keep their focus on the upcoming local government elections and not to worry about the general elections.

Meanwhile, Mr Chaudhry visited the under-construction Phase III of the Jalalpur Sharif canal and attended the groundbreaking ceremony of a trauma centre in the Basic Health Unit in Tobah village of Pind Dadan Khan. An amount of Rs310 million has been approved for the construction of the trauma centre.

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2021