After the Punjab by-polls on 20 PA seats — in which PTI secured a landslide victory — Elahi and incumbent CM Hamza Shehbaz are now competing for the run-off chief minister elections scheduled tomorrow (July 22).
While Elahi appears to be the favourite, Sanaullah, in a press conference held today, said “the PML-N believes that he (Elahi) doesn’t deserve to be appointed the chief executive of the province.”
Elahi recently alleged that PML-N was threatening to make members belonging to the PTI and its allies “disappear” ahead of the election.
Sanaullah, in his press conference today, indicated that any of the MPAs not showing up for the elections would be due to “Elahi’s incompetence”. “He is the same man who was once called a dacoit by Imran Khan.
“In Elahi’s eyes, the value of the assembly is such that he has said he won’t think twice if Imran Khan asks him to dissolve the assemblies,” the PML-N leader said.
“This matter is being discussed among the MPAs and it is possible that not just five but 50 members, on the basis of their political awareness, would either vote against him or stay [away].”
The minister rejected the PTI’s claims that PML-N was “buying” its party members. “We were never involved in such politics and would never indulge in it in the future.”
However, he continued, “we are connecting with people and this is our right”.
Moreover, talking about Elahi’s petition in the Supreme Court, Sanaullah said that had he been summoned to court, he would have told the honourable judges that the PTI was a party of liars.
“Imran Niazi is a person who gets involved in these things [buying of votes]. He has always had such reports circulating around him. But, instead of looking at himself, he creates a hue and cry and accuses others,” he stated.
Meanwhile, in response to a question, Sanaullah said that the recent by-elections in Punjab were for the dissident PTI MPAs who were given tickets by the PML-N.
“They were PTI members earlier. They were ministers during the party’s tenure. Unfortunately, they became the subject of the incompetence of Imran Khan and his government,” he said.
“And this is the reason they lost. PML-N voters just couldn’t accept these people as the face of the party,” he said.
Sanaullah also said that Imran Khan’s criticism of Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja was unacceptable and condemnable.
In an address after the PTI’s triumph in the Punjab by-elections, Imran had criticised the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for allegedly being biased. He had also claimed that the CEC was favouring the PML-N in electoral battles.
Imran also said that his party won the by-polls despite the use of state machinery as he insisted that early elections were still the only solution to the country’s economic problems.
Condemning the PTI chief’s remarks today, the interior minister said that the CEC had played an “exemplary role” during the elections in each and every aspect.
“None of the candidates, parties or anyone had a problem in the polls … except for one man and that is Imran Khan.”
“He is the only person who is unhappy whether he wins or loses,” Sanaullah alleged, adding that the nation and all the political parties stood with the CEC
source https://www.suchtv.pk/pakistan/general/item/114642-50-pti-mpas-may-go-against-elahi-on-basis-of-their-political-awareness-sanaullah.html
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