LAHORE, Pakistan: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan has described the election tribunal’s verdict which disqualified the Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq from NA-122 as the triumph of truth.
His statement came after the tribunal judge Kazim Ali Malik announced a historic decision according to which the 2013 election result of Lahore’s NA-122 were declared null and void. The tribunal ordered the Election Commission to hold re-polling in NA-122 as well as in PP-147 and PP-148.
In his response to election tribunal’s verdict, Imran Khan offered two rakat nawafil with niyat of thanking (Shukrana) to Allah for letting him emerge as victorious.
Taking to the Dispatch News Desk (DND), the PTI Chief said that he had been saying for over two years that 2013 general elections were rigged; therefore, he had sought a recount and verification of voters’ thumb impressions in only four constituencies including NA-122, NA-110, NA-125 and NA-154.
Imran Khan said that his all efforts for exposing rigging and bringing election reforms are meant for betterment of the country. He said that unless elections are conducted in a fair manner, true democracy would not be able to flourish in the country.
Meanwhile, the PTI Vice President Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that Imran Khan would attend the next session of the National Assembly after the tribunal verdict has arrived in his favour.
Imran Khan was born to win. He has won the hearts of millions of people already & continues to strive for a just Pakistan.
— Reham Khan (@RehamKhan1) August 22, 2015
The PTI Chief had challenged the victory of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Sardar Ayaz Sadiq from NA-122, alleging that massive rigging took place during 2013 polls.
However now after the tribunal gave a decision in favor of Imran Khan, the Speaker National Assembly has announced to approach the Supreme Court against the tribunal’s verdict.
Earlier in May this year, an election tribunal in response to a petition filed by Hamid Khan of the PTI also annulled results of the 2013 election held in Lahore’s NA-125 constituency and ordered a re-poll on the seat won by the PML-N’s Khawaja Saad Rafique.
But later Saddq Rafique challenged verdict of the election tribunal in NA-125 case in the Supreme Court which subsequently suspended the tribunal’s decision for re-polling in Lahore’s NA-125.