PML-N’s victory a result of covert deal, claims Haleem

Karachi
The victory of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz is a result of a covert deal with the US through Saudi Arabia, claimed Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid Sindh chief Haleem Adil Sheikh on Monday.
Sheikh, who lost the PS-129 (Malir) seat to PML-N’s Shafi Jamot, alleged that a hidden NRO was signed by the US, and Saudi Arabia was the underwriter that stormed the PML-N into power.
Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club, the PML-Q leader lashed out against “the state institutions responsible for grabbing fake mandate for (PML-N chief) Nawaz Sharif and making him the king of the country”.
He said the entire country was protesting against “the worst kind of rigging, which proves that certain elements stole the mandate of the people and brought their loyalists into power”.
He claimed that Sharif was rewarded for his loyalty to the judiciary because his party had played a major role in the lawyers’ movement and for the restoration of judges. He said the PML-N chief’s honeymoon period will last until the next budget is passed.
He appealed to the chief justice of Pakistan to take notice of the chaotic situation in the country. He demanded random verification of thumb impressions through the National Database and Registration Authority within 120 days for making the picture clear.
Sheikh held the Election Commission of Pakistan and the judiciary responsible for “their involvement in large-scale rigging not only in Karachi but the entire country”.
He alleged that district returning officers, judicial magistrates and other judicial staff played a major role in fetching the results of the poll. “The ECP overlooked the entire episode despite several complaints lodged by election candidates and voters.”
He said: “Previously, it was the establishment that was meddling in the electoral process, and now the judiciary has played a role in PML-N’s victory.”
The PML-Q leader said the election results showed

that the PML-N was restricted to Punjab, the Pakistan People’s Party to Sindh and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement to Karachi.
He said that it was a dangerous trend leading towards anarchy, as he recalled the memories of 1970. “This is not Naya (New) Pakistan, but rather the start of a turbulent period. The country’s very existence is at stake.”
He claimed that miscreants inside the polling stations were stamping ballot papers in front of the presiding officers, who were equally to blame for tampering with the results.
He said a legal war had begun and he would file a petition in the election tribunal against “massive rigging in PS-129”.
He alleged that the PML-Q was punished in Punjab because of its relationship with the PPP. He said: “Our partnership with the PPP remains intact and we continue to support the party in these difficult times.” Like representatives of other political parties, Sheikh demanded re-election across the country under the army’s supervision because “poll rigging was pre-planned from Ibrahim Hyderi (in Sindh) to Raiwind (in Punjab)”.