PML-N defeats Imran in Sargodha by-polls also

Ag Agencies

GUJRAT/SARGODHA: While Pakistan Muslim League-N defeated Imran Khan’s candidate in Sargodha by-poll also, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif told a public gathering in Gujrat on Sunday that people as well as the parliament had rejected his disqualification by the Supreme Court.

PML-N backed candidate Yasir Zafar Sindhu won by-polls in the Punjab Assembly constituency PP-30 Sargodha on Sunday, according to the unofficial results. Sindhu bagged 42,736 votes. He was followed by the PTI nominee Sajid Mehmood, who secured 23,586 votes. The same day, addressing a big public gathering in Kotla Arab Ali Khan, a town in Gujrat district, Nawaz said he would continue his fight for safeguarding the sanctity of vote, according to Geo News report.

A day after his party emerged victorious in the Senate polls, the PML-N Quaid said that his vision and narrative had reached Kotla also. “I know you people have decided to fight a decisive battle,” said Nawaz to the crowd.

Nawaz said the Senate nomination papers of his party’s candidates were rejected as those bore his signature as the president of the PML-N.

“In this manner, the power plants and motorways should also be shut down as they also bore my signature,” remarked the disqualified premier. “You will have to see that which judges were appointed through these signatures. These signatures are on country’s nuclear programme too. All decisions against me are driven by revenge and anger,” the PML-N chief claimed.

Nawaz said that he was ready for accountability, if any corruption charges were proven against him. He said it was time to root out the disease that Pakistan was suffering from for the past 70 years. Nawaz complained that a premier of Pakistan who brought to Pakistan historic foreign investment under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) had been disqualified. A leader who successfully negotiated gas agreements for Pakistan was disqualified, Nawaz added. He reiterated that he was disqualified by the top court for not getting salary from his son’s company against a position he was holding. Nawaz complained that a lawmaker who had secured crores of votes in General Elections 2013 was disqualified by five persons.

“Five persons crushed votes of the people under their feet. Will you accept all this?” Sharif questioned, launching a fresh diatribe against judges while party supporters in Gujrat.

Nawaz claimed that the next government would also be formed by the PML-N, adding that whenever he made a promise he fulfilled it.

Nawaz said he was confident that the people of Kotla would not step back when it comes to safeguarding the sanctity of the vote. He said there was no allegation of corruption against him.