‘You have few more days to announce elections or else embrace PTI long march', Imran tells govt

Islamabad: PTI Chairman and former prime minister Monday gave few more days to the coalition government for announcing date of  general elections and otherwise issued warning that he won't delay party's long march to Islamabad beyond October.

“I am giving them [government] time just for the sake of the country. I repeat that they still have time to announce elections, and if they don’t, I will begin my march, and my preparations are almost complete,” Khan said while addressing a press conference in the federal capital.

The latest warning came a day after Imran Khan's party stunned its rivals and won a majority of seats in by-polls. The PTI chief also made a record while winning six NA seats.

The former prime minister accused PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif of attempting to delay elections, saying “he (Sharif) is afraid to got to polls because of the PTI’s constantly growing popularity.”

Imran said Nawaz was waiting for the PTI’s wave of support to diminish before elections could be held.

Ruling out the possibility of dialogue with the government, Khan said this is very hard to do as you can talk to Baloch and Sindhi nationalists, but not with criminals.

The PTI chief said the ultimate goal of the ruling coalition was to secure a National Reconciliation Order (NRO) — a reference to relief in corruption cases.

He said a high-profile appointment such as that of the army chief should not be made by “criminals like Nawaz or Zardari”. “The army chief should be appointed on merit,” he said.

The PTI chief said, “We have decided that we will call special sessions of KP and Punjab assemblies on this issue.”

He added that PTI senators will file a petition with the Supreme Court, while the party will approach international organisations, the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva to register its concern regarding the alleged torture of its leaders.

Without naming anyone, the ex-premier said that “a man posted in Islamabad” was behind the action being taken against his party’s leaders.

The PTI chief said the same man was violating the Constitution, defaming the country and sowing the seeds of hatred among the public for institutions. He accused the unidentified individual of trampling the law and the Constitution in an attempt to please the army chief.

He demanded the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold a re-election in Karachi’s NA-237 constituency, claiming that the PPP clinched the seat in the by-poll on Sunday through “rigging”.

The PTI had “all the evidence” that the PPP openly indulged in rigging, he maintained.