Summary People voted for change but they changed people's vote, he claimed.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Tuesday said that this many leaders have spoken in favour of the so called democracy in parliament today, asking if anyone even mentioned the election rigging, Dunya News reported.
Addressing the ‘Azadi March’ participants, he alleged that the people voted for change but the government changed people’s votes.
He claimed this system is kleptocracy and not democracy, adding that he and Benazir Bhutto studied politics in Oxford University together and that he knows what real democracy is.
He said the constitution demands free and fair elections. He said everyone is alleging rigging took place including Fazlur Rehman and Aitzaz Ahsan, alleging that only Mehmood Khan Achakzai is silent because eight of his family members hold key political posts.
Addressing Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar in a skeptical manner, he said “Field Marshal Nisar says on the floor of assembly that 60k-70k votes in every constituency are unidentifiable”
He said he urged the government to inquire in four constituencies suspected of election rigging so that next elections could be fair, added that PTI even accepted this election.
“I want to ask this to the whole parliament, Article 218 of the constitution insists transparent elections, interior minister says 60-70k votes are unverifiable, if that many votes are unverifiable, how do we know who won and who lost?” he asked.
“I challenge you, if in western democracy or even in India; tell me who will accept election if this many votes are unverifiable…I want to ask this assembly how did they accept this election… this parliament is illegal and has no legality”
He complained that no one talked about transparent elections and integrity in parliament today but everyone spoke in favour of ‘sham democracy’ so zealously.
“How can you insist this assembly needs to be saved?” he asked.
“My second question is why this many votes are unverifiable? Wasn’t it the government’s responsibility to see to it? Who’s responsible if papers were fake? You didn’t even do a single inquiry over such massive fraud? There is a reason that the government is silent… the government itself was involved in this fraud.”
He claimed that the government was afraid of ‘PTI’s tsunami’ fearing PTI’s victory after he fell off the stage during election campaign last year.
“Dear PM, tell me this… how will investigation be transparent with you in power?” He asked.
“Which parliament will accept a mandate where 60,000 to 70,000 votes are unverifiable…we are not the only ones in parliament that is saying rigging took place.”
Turning his point of criticism to Aitzaz Ahsan, he said Aitzaz Ahsan spoke against electoral rigging but didn’t ask what should be done about it.
“O Aitzaz Ahsan, do you believe there could be transparent investigation until PM is in power? If not, why aren’t you saying this to PM? I tell you why…this because of co-conspiracy, they are together”, he said.
“Aitzaz Ahsan spoke against our protest… I have known him all my life; I want to ask him why this protest march is wrong now? We’re doing this for democracy, why aren’t you with us? Aitzaz Ahsan sahib there is no other way to have transparent elections unless there’s a thorough investigation and accountability.”
PTI chief claimed that the constitution was violated through the election rigging, adding that everyone in the parliament is now unconstitutional.
If PM was punished when it was proven in court that he took ISI’s money, it wouldn’t have happened again, he said.
He said Chaudhry Nisar termed PTI protesters as mob and terrorists.
“I want to ask you Nisar, tell me what you did with us two days ago, what was our fault? 45 people were shot… what was my fault? If Pakistan is democracy, tell me what my fault was?” he asked.
“And then they have made a terrorism case against me… if you know ABC of democracy, it is people’s right to protest if they feel their rights are being violated and they can’t get justice through proper channel.”
Comparing government’s treatment with protesters to that of Israel’s with Palestine, he said even Israel doesn’t attack its own people.
“What they did to us is exactly what Israel does to Palestine. Even Israel doesn’t do this to its own people”, he said.
“I am afraid these who are produce of dictatorship don’t even know what democracy is”
Imran Khan said he has seen General Zia’s tenure and Musharraf’s regime; adding that people weren’t as oppressed as they are now.
Redirecting his criticism to JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s statements he said that Fazlur Rehman has so much pain for democracy and that he has also lectured on what is democracy. He said it is an insult to him to even respond to Fazlur Rehman’s allegations.
“I think it is my insult to even respond to Fazlur Rehman… the person who politicks in the name of religion but sells for 2-3 ministries and diesel permit”
Khan said that Fazlur Rehman pretends to be religious but negotiates with secular parties.
Expressing his disappointment over PTI president Javed Hashmi’s statements, PTI chief said “I want to say that I respected Javed Hashmi the most ever since this party was formed. I respected him because he spent this much time in prison, I thought he must have principles… but I felt so much pain when he alleged me of working with army”
He said Javed Hashmi sat with him 13 months ago in PTI’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting in which Khan assured the committee to find every constitutional solution against the election rigging.
“I said in front of everyone I’ll find every constitutional way to expose rigging”, he said.
He said he told the CEC that Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz has a history of influencing judicial process, and that he doesn’t expect justice from this party.
“I said back then that be prepared if these parties don’t give us investigation results by next summer, we’ll have only one way which is to take to streets to attain justice”, he said.
He said he felt pain because Javed Hashmi knows he doesn’t work on anyone’s signals.
He claimed that Anwarul Haq, the son of former military ruler Zia-ul-Haq offered Khan a ministership in Zia’s regime.
“Anwarul Haq told me Zia said they don’t have any choice because Nawaz Sharif is incapable”, he claimed.
Imran Khan said no other party ‘evolved from scratch’ like PTI did.
“I had no support of dictator”, he said.
“I only supported Musharraf in referendum because he assured me he will eliminate corruption... I could have gone with him when he offered me premiership under his government if I was power hungry.”
He claimed that Khursheed Kasuri came to him in 1997 when PTI was 5 months old and told him to align with Nawaz Sharif PTI will get 25 seats.
“I turned down the offer saying I came to politics because of corrupt people like Nawaz Sharif”, he said.
He said he could have accepted those offers if he was power hungry. He reiterated “I felt so much pain for this Hashmi sahib when you said I was working on someone’s agenda.”
Imran Khan tells PTI MNAs to have a blast in NA by exposing govt s propaganda
Imran Khan, earlier told PTI’s members of the National Assembly (MNAs) including vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi to go and have a blast on their last day in assembly tomorrow (Wednesday) by responding to the government’s charge sheet against PTI ‘point by point’, Dunya News reported.
Addressing the sit-in protesters, Khan said he will address the public this evening and will put his case for people to decide who is attacking democracy and who is standing by it.
“I and Benazir Bhutto have studied politics in Oxford together. I will tell you what the real and fake democracy is and why this struggle of ours is a decisive war and we have to win it”, he said.
“Just figure out how much wealth they had before coming into power and how much they have now… Nawaz Sharif’s wealth has touched the sky, rising year after year.”
