PM may become ‘stranger in the house’: Imran Khan

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AFP
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PM may become ‘stranger in the house’: Imran Khan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman, Imran Khan Monday said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif may become ‘stranger in the house’, shortly after an election tribunal ordered re-election on Lahore's NA-125 constituency that was previously won by Khawaja Saad Rafique of ruling PML-N.

Addressing a press conference Imran Khan demanded that Returning Officers and Polling Officers be summoned by the Judicial Commission probing the rigging allegations in the general elections of 2013 and be interrogated as to whose orders they had to follow ‘to carry out rigging in NA-125’.

He said the National Database and Regulatory Authority (NADRA) continues to withhold the ‘forensic result of NA-122 constituency’ on government’s pressure.

He said according to the NADRA report each voter on the average cast their ballot six times in NA-125.

He said the job of the election tribunal is only to declare whether the elections were transparent or not while judicial commission will ascertain who was involved in carrying out the ‘rigging’.

Imran Khan regretted that it took the concerned authority two whole years to come to today’s decision.

However, he said he was happy over today’s outcome, terming transparent elections indispensable for the future of Pakistan’s democracy.

Khawaja Saad Rafique’s reaction on tribunal’s decision

PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique termed the decision of election tribunal to hold re-polls in NA-125 as contradictory to the will of justice.

Talking to newsmen outside his residence, the PML-N leader said his party would decide whether to contest re-election or to file an appeal in the Supreme Court against the election tribunal's order.

He quoted election tribunal as stating, "PTI’s Hamid Khan had failed to prove rigging in the election of 2013".

Rafique said the election tribunal has punished his voters and PML-N for the ineligibility of the Returning Officers (ROs).

He said the judge said ‘no rigging was witnessed’ and on the other hand ordered re-election in NA-125.

He further said neither did the election tribunal declare him ineligible nor did it hand down any punishment to him.

He accused the PTI chief Imran Khan of telling lies, saying it was no surprise if Hamid Khan lied too.