NA-122 (Lahore) by-election: former speaker buoyed by party support, confident of victory

Former Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq is upbeat about winning NA-122 (Lahore), the constituency from where he was disqualified by an election tribunal last month on a petition filed by the candidate of rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Talking to Business Recorder exclusively on telephone from Lahore, Sadiq said that he decided to go for re-election instead of to the court against the tribunal verdict as he was sure that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) would once again emerge victorious in October 11 by-elections.
"We decided to contest the by-elections instead of challenging the tribunal verdict as it was our constitutional right. We just want to prove that we never rigged the polls and the victory in by-elections will consolidate our stance," he maintained.
Sadiq defeated PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the 2013 general elections, which was later challenged in an election tribunal. Sadiq quit as Speaker National Assembly after an election tribunal nullified the elections in NA-122 after some two years.
Reacting to the PTI chairman's address in Lahore last week, Sadiq said that Imran Khan should read the verdict of election tribunal, as it clearly states that he (Sardar Ayaz Sadiq) was not involved in rigging but his election was nullified due to irregularities committed by the Election Commission of Pakistan.
To a question about the alleged intimidation by Punjab Police prior to by elections Sadiq said that PTI chairman is free to go any court if he has evidence that the provincial government of the PML-N is using the government machinery to rig the polls.
"There is no truth whatsoever in the claims of the PTI chairman. The way they accuse the Punjab government of using police and other government machinery in my favour shows they are in disarray," he added.
He said that by-election results would show that the PTI has been completely wiped out in Punjab, and ultimately this truth will prevail, adding that the PML-N always believes in rule of law and this was the reason "why we decided to go to the court of people, as they are the best judge".
Abdul Aleem Khan, the PTI candidate for NA-122, could not be reached for comments despite repeated attempts at his cell number.
When contacted, Mian Mahmoodur Rashid, the PTI opposition leader in Provincial Assembly of Punjab, said that no one can stop Imran Khan from taking part in the election campaign for his party candidates, as it is our constitutional right.
"Imran is a member of parliament, and he is not holding any other public office. He is neither chief minister nor the governor, but the ECP's move to bar him from taking part in the election campaigns, shows the ECP is working hand in glove with the government, which is not acceptable," he added.
Rashid accused the government of misusing the government machinery besides promising jobs to the people ahead of elections. "The government has been busy in conducting bogus surveys, announcing uplift schemes but even then the morale of the PTI is high and we are confident no one can defeat us," he maintained.
He said that the way the ECP is facilitating the government by imposing a ban on Imran Khan on participating in election campaigns, instead of taking notice of what the government is doing in the said constituency like announcement of uplift schemes, promising jobs, etc, has further validated our stance that its members are no more trustworthy.
"We're going to hold a sit-in in Islamabad on October 4, and if they (ECP members) do not step down, the party will chalk out its future line of action...the members are already controversial but now the ECP as an intuition seems to be siding with the government," he added.
In the 2013 general elections, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq of the PML-N succeeded by 93,362 votes from the constituency against Imran Khan, who bagged 84,417 votes, while PPP's candidate Barrister Mian Amir Hassan got just 2,832 votes from this constituency. Nawab Doctor Ambar Shahzada of AJSP bagged only 15 votes.
In the by-elections, PML-N's Ayaz Sadiq is contesting this seat again for restoring his position, but the PTI has replaced its candidate Imran Khan with Abdul Aleem Khan, who is considered a weak candidate compared to Imran Khan.
In NA-154 Lodhran-I, there are a total of 14 contestants as per the final list of the candidates from the ECP. PTI's Jahangir Tareen is contesting again from the constituency against his rival candidates - ruling party's Umair Baloch and PPP's Rana Mumtaz Ahmad Noon.