Next general elections: Imran accuses CEC of having ‘secret rendezvous’ with Hamza, Maryam

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Monday accused Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja of having a ‘secret rendezvous’ with Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz and Maryam Nawaz to rig the next general elections.

Speaking at a farmers’ convention, he said: “We know where the chief election commissioner goes every weekend. The CEC takes orders from Hamza Shehbaz and Maryam Nawaz... they are planning to rig the next elections.”

The PTI chief has time and again accused the ECP and its chief of being the henchman of the PML-N and sought the CEC, Raja’s resignation to ensure transparency in the polls.

Imran, the ousted premier, also hinted at the possibility of snap polls, saying that he is expecting that the elections would be held soon.

The sole purpose of the ruling coalition is to take care of its leaders’ interests and to follow the commands of the United States.

Speaking at the convention, he said that the people who have come into power through a US-backed conspiracy, are not going to serve the masses, as their sole intention is to serve their foreign masters and protect the interests of the West.

Khan alleged that the various parties in the government wanted to close corruption cases against their members, weaken institutions such as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and rig the next general elections in collusion with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

“We know where the election commissioner [Sikandar Sultan Raja] goes every weekend,” he said, adding, “He [the CEC] takes orders from Hamza Shehbaz and Maryam Nawaz and delimitations are being done so that the PML-N wins”.

The PTI chairman called on the people to struggle against the “imported regime” of Sharif and participate in a movement for real freedom, saying Pakistan could not move forward while the incumbent government remained in power.

Khan warned that Pakistan might face a food insecurity threat if the issues faced by farmers and the agriculture sector were not addressed.

“We all would be in great danger if special attention is not paid to the issues faced by the farmers,” he added.

He said that food security was linked to the country’s security itself, adding the issue was not limited to Pakistan but a matter of global concern as the Russia-Ukraine war had impacted wheat supply and prices.

“The people are afraid that there will be famines due to how wheat supply has been affected from that war,” he added.

However, he said, Pakistan is fortunate since it had the natural resources, conditions and opportunities to become a country that could substantially increase its wealth on the basis of agriculture alone.

Highlighting the problems faced by farmers, he said the cost of their inputs was increasing due to recent fuel and power price increases.

Khan also talked about his government’s performance in the agriculture sector and said its main focus was to help farmers, recalling that it was part of the PTI’s manifesto.

He said that the country could not develop until the government paid attention to agriculture, adding that Pakistan was reliant on the agricultural sector until the industrial sector was more strongly established.

Elaborating on his government’s measures, such as subsidies, to support farmers, Imran talked about the high yields for different crops during his tenure.

Turning his aim at the current government, he said its economic performance so far had increased inflation.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022