Feb 8 general elections: PTI ex-ministers demand probe into ‘rigging’

PESHAWAR: Two former KP ministers from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday alleged that the February 8 general elections were rigged and demanded the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) investigate the issue to bring all those involved in the practice to justice. 

Speaking at a press conference, Taimur Saleem Jhagra and Kamran Khan Bangash claimed that the PTI had received 31 per cent votes in the general elections while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz got 23 percent votes.

They said the Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan will have to tell the people who were involved in changing the February 8 general election results.

They insisted that the votes the PTI candidates received did not mean that these ballots were polled against any state institution.

The PTI leaders said the military and all other institutions were theirs. They said they had no issues with the military. Both the former ministers who had contested the general elections from Peshawar and lost, said there were differences in the results issued on the website of ECP and the actual votes polled.

Jhagra and Bangash claimed that the PTI had received a greater number of votes this time compared to the general elections of 2018. The PTI leaders were concerned over the war of words going on between KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Governor Faisal Karim Kundi.

They said being the representative of the Federation, the governor should instead play a role and get KP’s Rs150 billion hydel power arrears from the Centre.