LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) senior leader and former Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has said that they were winning 15 seats in the Punjab by-elections, as per the exit polls.

While addressing a press conference after the conclusion of balloting here on Sunday, he said that the PTI will win seats in Lahore, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Jhang, Multan, Bhakkar and Leyah with ease while it was a close contest at Khushab and Sahiwal. “We were expecting to bag 15 to 16 seats and hence they can form the government in Punjab on July 22,” he added.

He also said that the era of police brutality has been brought to an end. “I was attacked by the Tehreek-e-Labbiak Pakistan (TLP) workers, but the Election Commission of Pakistan remained silent,” he added. He complained about the disappearance of their votes from the various polling stations. He said that the government tried to disrupt peaceful elections. “Our workers were harassed while the police remained a silent spectator. They were also arrested by the police for no reason,” he added. “Despite all the foul tactics deployed by the government, the PTI was winning the by-elections,” he said.

Meanwhile, during visits to the various PTI camps here, PTI Central Punjab General Secretary Hamad Azhar told the media that the PTI will win the by-elections with a huge majority. “Voters should cast their votes to get rid of the imported rulers,” he added.

Azhar completely excluded PML-N from the equation, explaining that the PTI was competing against foreign conspiracy and the ECP, while the PML-N has no existence in Punjab. “The members of the provincial assembly were leaving the government and coming to the opposition,” he added.

Moreover, while talking to newsmen, PTI senior leader and former Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood said that the illegitimate rulers in Punjab will be removed after the result of the by-elections, as it will lose the majority. “Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz should resign immediately,” he added.

“The politics of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was over, but they were deliberately trying to make the situation worse. The PTI voters were being prevented from entering the polling stations while our polling agents were harassed,” he said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022