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Jailed former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan‘s party has decided to sit in the Opposition in Parliament while launching a countrywide protest against alleged rigging in the elections after its efforts to form the next government failed.
Pakistan’s major political parties have stepped up efforts to form a federal government after the February 8 elections delivered a split verdict, according to a report published by the news agency PTI.
While Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party-backed independent candidates dominated the election results, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) claimed to have enough numbers to form the government as some independents joined the Nawaz Sharif-led party post-polls.
On Friday, PTI leader Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif announced that following the instructions of PTI founder Khan, the party has decided to sit in the Opposition both at the Centre and in the key province of Punjab.
The decision came after the party had named Umar Ayub Khan as its candidate for the prime minister and Aslam Iqbal as chief minister for Punjab.
Speaking to media persons after visiting the Qaumi Watan Party in Islamabad, Saif said the party decided to sit in the Opposition in the Centre and Punjab under the instructions of party founder Khan.
“We decided to sit in Opposition despite the reality that if we received seats according to our votes and the results were not changed then maybe today we might have been in the Centre with 180 seats. We have the evidence that our candidates won,” he said as quoted by PTI.
The party, which also issued a white paper against alleged rigging on Friday, has decided to kick off its demonstrations on Saturday.
A PTI source said that the party’s incarcerated founder has tasked former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser with engaging political parties to muster support for the protest drive.
A PTI delegation led by Qaisar met the leader of Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) on Friday, while a meeting with Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party’s Mehmood Khan Achakzai is scheduled to take place on Saturday.
Qaiser-led delegation also met Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader Mian Muhammad Aslam and discussed the post-election scenario.
The delegation sought JI’s support for joint protests against the alleged rigging.
It was not clear if the party would participate in the election of the prime minister and Punjab chief minister after the decision to join the opposition ranks.
Khan’s party claimed that at least 85 seats won by it in Parliament were snatched in the “biggest voter fraud” in the country’s history and announced plans to hold “peaceful” nationwide protests on Saturday against alleged rigging.
PTI’s core committee met on Friday and finalized the plans for the nationwide protest campaign on the call of the party’s founder Khan.
The meeting urged the whole nation to come out of their houses against the “massive rigging”. The meeting also sought the resignation of the chief election commissioner.
Independent candidates – a majority backed by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) – won 93 of the 265 National Assembly seats that were contested in the February 8 election.
However, PTI’s two main rivals appear on course to form a coalition government after former prime minister Nawaz Sharif‘s Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) formed a post-poll alliance on Tuesday.
The PML-N won 75 seats while the PPP came third with 54 seats. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) has also agreed to support them with their 17 seats.
To form a government, a party must win 133 seats out of 265 contested seats in the 266-member National Assembly.
Khan declared on Friday will not seek political vengeance upon returning to power.
(With PTI inputs)
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Published: 17 Feb 2024, 11:41 AM IST
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