KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has lashed out at Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), saying that the PML-N lost the NA-249 by-election owing to its own mismanagement and overconfidence.
Addressing a press conference today (Sunday), PPP leader Saeed Ghani said there were videos circulating on social media in which a PPP polling agent can be seen being stopped by a Rangers official, who finds out the agent is carrying some money. “PML-N leaders promoted the video and accused PPP of rigging the election,” he added.
“Anyone who has ever contested an election knows that whenever a polling agent contests a vote, there is a fee for that [which must be paid],” Ghani said, rejecting claims the PPP’s polling agents had handed out bribes.
He said the PML-N had no right to raise a hue and cry about the election results. “This is very strange. Not a word of protest was said when the PML-N candidate was in the lead and when the voting process was underway,” he added.
Saeed Ghani also advised the PML-N against taunting the PPP of “making a deal” to win the polls, adding that it was the PML-N itself that had benefitted from such deals in the past. He challenged the PML-N to “pull up a chart” and see which of the two parties had benefitted the most after the ’80s.
“If the elections can’t be won without striking a deal with the establishment, then the PML-N should tell us how it managed to win three elections?” he concluded.
The PML-N had accused Pakistan People’s Party of rigging the NA-249 by-election. PPP’s Qadir Mandokhail emerged victorious in Karachi’s Baldia town by-polls, triggering allegations the party had resorted to unfair means from rival parties.
