PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Saturday announced the party’s demand for a re-election in NA-75 Sialkot-IV, following what she termed was “irrefutable evidence” and the Election Commission of Pakistan’s “charge sheet against the government”.
As her press conference to “expose” the said “evidence” began at 5pm, she thanked the party workers and the people of Daska and Nowshera who “guarded their votes” and “caught the thieves”.
She said they wrung free the “stolen votes” from “a crocodile’s grip”.
Maryam also extended condolences to the families of the two people who died a day earlier during violence amid the by-polls.
‘Plan made for Wazirabad and Daska’
The PML-N leader said that a “plan” was made in Wazirabad and Daska because it was “clear that PML-N was in the lead” there.
She said in Nowshera, the government did not see the PML-N’s victory coming, because it had not won there before.
Maryam claimed the government’s own camps were “empty” and there was a lot of “visible support” for the PML-N.
“So they resorted to firing in broad daylight (in Daska and Wazirabad). There is a video in which you can see the PTI candidate, his relatives firing,” the PML-N vice president alleged, adding that it led to the tragic deaths of “two children”.
A video was then played showing the said candidate with a red circle marked around him for identification.
“A video never lies,” Maryam said. “When there is evidence, it is shown. Allegations are not levelled just like that.”
The PML-N vice president then went on to raise questions as to what was being done inside polling stations with the doors shut, when there was still time to cast votes. She said it prompted queues to form outside of PML-N voters who waited for hours to be allowed inside.
She said desperate voters, when time was about to draw to a close, started banging on the doors and forced their way inside.
“When they were unable to keep them out, they resorted to run away with bags of votes,” Maryam said.
“This is Wazirabad I am speaking of. The presiding officer was caught red-handed with a white bag full of votes […] we caught him in the presence of Rangers,” she said.
Maryam said that the government “did not stop at that”. “They then proceeded to disappear around 20 staff of the Election Commission,” she claimed, referring to events in the NA-75 Sialkot-IV.
“We don’t know where they were kept for 14 hours and what they had them do,” she added.
She said there were claims of “fog” but “why were their phones turned off the entire duration?”
ECP’s statement ‘charge sheet against govt’
Maryam then discussed the Election Commission’s press release which stated that results were obtained with considerable delay and contact could not be established with presiding officers.
“Even Election Commission did not know where their officers had disappeared,” she said.
She said even the ECP is saying their officers were “held hostage” and has declared it suspects results were swapped.
Maryam said the ECP’s statement is a “big charge sheet” against the “fake government”.
She also cast aspersions on the voter turnout in many polling stations which, she said, according to graphs, “previously had a voter turnout of 30-35% and then mysteriously, after the disappearance of presiding officers, shot up to 80-90%”.
She further said party worker Ataa Tarar “sat down with a returning officer and it was found 900 votes were cast where only 600 were registered”.
“This occurred in the span of 14 hours. Any more time and it would have shot up to 200%,” Maryam said.
She requested the ECP to restore the respect of the institution. “All the nation’s eyes are on you […] strict action must be taken against all the police officers, the administration officers, and the government representatives involved in this.”
Maryam said they must do justice and justice “must be seen to be done”.
The PML-N vice president “congratulated” Prime Minister Imran Khan for “losing the election despite historic rigging”.
She also demanded a case be registered against PM Imran Khan and Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar over “vote theft” and the deaths of the two people who died.
To a question after the briefing, Maryam said the PML-N demands a re-election in the entire NA-75 Sialkot-IV constituency, alleging that polling was deliberately “slowed down” there.
She said the party’s “legal minds” will sit down and deliberate the way forward, adding that a request has already been submitted to the ECP.
