Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday congratulated Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Mamnoon Hussain on his election as 12th elected President of Pakistan, hoping he would deliver above party lines. He emphasised that the newly elected president would undertake his constitutional responsibility, setting aside party affiliations as the office of president is a symbol of federation.
Earlier, Imran said that boycott of presidential election by several political parties made the polls controversial. After casting his vote, Imran told reporters outside parliament that his party took part in the elections as it did not want to leave the field open for PML-N.
"We took part in the presidential election after a brief consultation within the party as there should have been somebody to confront the ruling party candidate," he added. Imran reiterated his party's demand to verify thumb impressions of voters in four constituencies, adding that the Supreme Court should hold a probe into massive rigging in May 11 general elections to ensure free and fair polls in future. The PTI would introduce biometric system in local government elections in the province, he added.
He said the apex court has yet not responded to the petition in which PTI demanded holding investigations against rigging in Election 2013. He also claimed that May 11 elections were the worst elections in the country's history as massive rigging took place and no political party was satisfied with the results except PML-N. Imran said PTI did not join Tahirul Qadri extravaganza as it had full confidence in independent judiciary that it would hold free and fair elections but assertion of Tahirul Qadri later proved to be correct.
He said Akhtar Mengal, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PPP and others were also complaining of rigging in elections, adding that PTI still demands verification of votes in four constituencies but nobody is paying any heed to it. Responding to a question about the proposed all parties' parliamentary conference to carve out a national security policy, he said that all three previous APCs failed to make any progress.
About Muttahida Qaumi Movement decision to back PML-N presidential candidate, he said the party leadership had vowed not to even shake hands with them unless it disbands its militant wing but all stance died down when presidential elections were around the corner. He said PTI has accepted the mandate and not the rigging in elections. If PTI had boycotted the presidential elections, he added, PML-N would not have been in need of MQM.
To a question about inability of PTI provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to reign in terrorists, he assured things would be alright once the mess left by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and its coalition partners in the province. He said that Maulana Fazlur Rehman and his allies broke all records of corruptions and failed governance during their five-year-rule in KP, adding that the posting, transfer and other administrative measures were completely ruined due to nepotism and favouritism.
"The PTI is dead busy to clear the dust of the previous government... so give us some two months and we'll not disappoint you as we are making all-out efforts to make KP a model district," he maintained. He said KP was suffering due to Pakistan alliance in the ongoing US war against terrorism and drone attacks in tribal areas. The PTI provincial government, he added, was bringing in an effective intelligence system to know plans about attacks on police and jails in advance. He said they were also bringing in reforms in police and improvement in its performance would be visible in two months.