Critics of ECP have now become its admirers: Shibli

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz Friday said that the political hypocrisy of the opposition was becoming more and more evident with each passing day.

In a tweet, the minister said that changing its stance again and again and denying one's own statement had become the hallmark of the opposition. “The favourable decisions only were acceptable to the opposition, i.e., if they win, the elections are termed transparent and fair, but if they lose, a hue and cry of rigging is flared up. Those who were agitating against a reputed institution on roads have become its supporters”. The minister was referring to the opposition’s appreciation of the EC’s decision of re-polling in NA-75. Shibli said that it has been proved that under Imran Khan’s leadership the Election Commission was active, independent and sovereign.

Meanwhile, Shibli said in an interview with a private news channel that Maryam Nawaz and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari have zero credibility in politics. "So-called leaders of PML-N and PPP have no political background, while Imran Khan holds a long struggle in politics of Pakistan." said the minister. Expressing serious concerns over dubious role of opposition, he said it was strange that opposition benches are opposing open balloting system in Senate elections.

The PML-N, he said, had promoted the culture of gunfire during elections. The ruling party, he said, was well aware of all such tactics being played by PML-N for halting open balloting. To a question about awarding fewer tickets to PTI workers, he said it was common phenomena that the PTI had limited number of seats in elections.

“It was not possible to facilitate all party workers with tickets,” he added. Meanwhile, the PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz said challenging the ECP decision on Daska by-election proved that the PTI government had stolen the vote there and now it was trying to protect the officials who had helped it in stealing the public mandate.

In a tweet, she said the efforts of the government to save the officers involved in the vote theft proved that the act was done at the behest of the ‘selected prime minister’. Maryam said that running away from re-election in the constituency also showed that they were well aware of the fact that their candidate would have to face forfeiture of his election deposit after people would not give him even minimum required votes.

Maryam said when Justice (R) Wajihuddin exposed the reality of the PTI elections, he was expelled from the party. She said now if the Election Commission had caught the theft, the government was appealing against the decision. She said the government wanted to protect the officers involved in the vote theft because it feared that they might reveal the names of those who gave directions to them.

Meanwhile, Maryam Nawaz formed a committee to supervise re-election process in NA-75 constituency. The committee consisted of Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah, Mian Javed Latif, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Armaghan Subhani and others. The members of the committee would meet the local party leaders in connection with the Daska re-election campaign. The committee will also provide all possible assistance to the lawyers' wing for litigation.