Imran Khan claims horse-trading happening in Lahore ahead of Punjab CM election

With two days left for Punjab's chief minister's election, PTI Chairman Imran Khan Wednesday claimed that horse-trading was happening in Lahore with MPAs being offered Rs500 million to sell their loyalties.

Taking to his Twitter handle, the former prime minister wrote: "Today Lahore is seeing a repeat of the Sindh House horse trading that happened in Islamabad with up to Rs 50 crores being offered to buy MPAs."

Blaming former president and PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari for being the "main architect" who gets NRO for his "corruption and purchases people with looted wealth", Khan said he should be jailed.

“This is not only an attack on our democracy but also on the moral fabric of our society. Had Supreme Court taken action and debarred these turncoats for life, it would have acted as a deterrent,” claimed the PTI chairman.

He also asked the “handlers” of the incumbent government whether they realised the “severe damage being done to the nation”.

The PTI chairman further claimed that after his government was “toppled with stolen money from Sindh and NRO 2 achieved, certified criminal Asif Zardari in cahoots with Sharif mafia now seeking to steal Punjab people’s mandate by trying to purchase MPAs”.

“Want to ask Honourable Supreme Court are they not cogniscant of the damage being wreaked? Isn't the destruction of our democracy, Constitution and nation's morality a fit case for Suo Moto action? Are the "Neutrals" not realising how our beloved country is literally being destroyed on all fronts by the Imported government brought in through US regime change conspiracy?” asked the former prime minister.

Fawad Chaudhry says PTI to move SC against horse-trading 

On the other hand, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said that the party will move the Supreme Court against horse-trading, accusing the PML-N of giving Rs400 million to PTI MPA Masood Majeed.

Speaking at a press conference, the senior PTI leader said that Majeed has left the country and reached Turkey after taking a huge sum of money.

"PML-N's Ataullah Tarar contacted our MPA. They are buying MPAs by giving them Rs350 million," Chaudhry alleged, saying that there will not be any democracy in the country if this keeps happening.

"We want Rana Sanaullah, Zardari and Ataullah Tarar to get arrested and the court to conduct an immediate inquiry into the matter," he added.

PTI lawmakers being offered up to Rs500m in bribes by PML-N: Murad Raas

Khan's tweet came hours after, PTI leader and former provincial minister Murad Raas claimed that the party's lawmakers were being offered between Rs30 million and Rs50 million each by PML-N to change their loyalties ahead of the vote recount for the Punjab chief minister post.

In a tweet, Raas referred to the PML-N as "chors (thieves)".

Referring to PML-N, he said these "shameless chors are trying to do everything to stay in power".

Mian Aslam Iqbal, leader of the PTI, stated that the party's numbers were complete, but that a "market was being set up to buy members."

Dr Yasmin Rashid, another PTI leader, stated that the PTI does not want to start a fight. "We have won 15 seats. The people have spoken," she said.

The former Punjab health minister added that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah should tone down his threatening rhetoric, stating that he was also responsible for the Model Town massacre and that if the politics of looting had been acceptable, people would have voted for PML-N.

Punjab Assembly's number game

The landslide victory of PTI in the Punjab by-polls has completely changed the numbers game in the Punjab Assembly and Chaudhry Pervez Elahi is most likely to replace Hamza Shahbaz Sharif as the new chief minister of the province.

Almost all the turncoats who joined the PML-N and voted for Hamza lost to the PTI candidates.

In the Sunday by-elections, PTI won 15 out of the total 20 seats. PML-N won four and one independent won the remaining seat. Already, before the by-polls, PTI and PML-Q had jointly attained the strength of 173 (163 of PTI and 10 of PML-Q).

Now, with 15 additional seats, the total seats in hand have reached 188, whereas the figure for the simple majority stands at 186. The PTI and PML-Q have crossed that landmark.