Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan addressed his supporters on Wednesday, a day after the Supreme Court verdict declared Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as the new chief minister of Punjab. He demanded immediate elections that should be free and fair. Khan ruled out any possibility of holding talks with the coalition government.
‘Can talk to the TTP and separatists but not with thieves’
“I can talk to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the separatists of Balochistan and Sindh, but not with thieves,” said Khan while ruling out the possibility of holding talks with the coalition government.
“Will you speak to someone who robs your home?”
‘A new Election Commission should be formed’
Once again, Khan expressed his complete lack of trust in the incumbent Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja. Khan accused the ECP of supporting former CM Punjab Hamza Shehbaz.
“The Election Commission was involved and tried to defeat us in the by-polls.”
Terming his party’s win in the Punjab by-elections a “miracle”, he said that despite the government’s attempts, his party managed to win because of the people.
“First of all, Hamza was illegally imposed on us, and even when he was ordered by the top court to refrain from using any state machinery and administration for personal gains, he used all of the aforementioned to rig the elections.”
He demanded that a new Election Commission should be formed.
“Such an Election Commission should be formed that no political party should have an issue with it.”
‘Yeh jo bikay hain hamaray log, yeh bhi aik shirk hai’
Khan said that those who defected from his party committed shirk.
“Jab yeh apni naukri ko bachanay ke liye ghalat kaam kartay hain, gunnah kartay hain, yeh bhi aik shirk hai. Aap apnay zameer ko bechtay hain, laalach de kar jo aap ko khareedta hai, yeh jo bikay hain hamaray log bhairr baqriyon ki tarah, yeh bhi aik shirq hai kyun ke Allah Al-Haqq hai.”
(Those who do wrong things to save their jobs commit sin, it is shirk [idolatry]. Those who sell their self-respect and themselves, it is also counted as shirk because Allah is Al-Haqq).
Azadi March and Haqeeqi Azadi
Khan recalled that when his party announced its “Azadi March” on May 25, the coalition government attacked the women, children, and families who came out to support PTI.
“They tried to silence us.”
“Today, I want to thank the Almighty that despite all the impediments, people came out to show support rather than staying at home out of fear,” adding that he is glad that the people of Pakistan have started becoming a nation now.
‘Free and fair elections should be held immediately‘
Khan stressed that there is only one way forward and that is through immediately holding free and fair elections.
