ISLAMABAD, 6 July — The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) N claimed Wednesday that the party-backed candidates in the local government elections, so far, have bagged more than 41.81 percent, numbering 1,15,000 out of a total of 2,75,000, seats of nazims, naib nazims and councilors throughout the country.
PML-N Acting President Javed Hashmi made this surprising claim public at a press conference he addressed here at the Kulsoom House. “The PML-N has made the best out of the worst, as more than 1,15,000 nazims, naib nazims and councilors of the party emerged victorious making it immensely clear that the vote bank of the party is intact despite the government’s relentless campaign of terrorizing, victimizing and abducting its candidates,” said Hashmi.
He described this victory as “Waterloo” for the government in its designs to impose a fake leadership on the politically-conscious people of Pakistan through the smoke screen of non-party elections.
Hashmi said the results of the local government elections were a referendum against the government, as the PML-N won seats from all the four provinces and the scheme to break into the PML vote bank has not worked out.
“The division the government has created in the party will soon eliminate leaving a handful of people out of the party’s fold,” said the PML leader.
He said the PML-N bagged majority votes in these elections, and through these elections the masses have conveyed a strong signal to the government that they would not let it impose fake leadership on them.
He said the PML-N in its Central Working Committee meeting, to be held later in the day, would deliberate on contacting other political parties for fielding joint candidates for nazims and naib nazims in the 5th phase of the local government elections.
“Rigging, indiscipline, chaos, confusion and mismanagement were at their peak during these elections exposing the fact that the people considered to be a disciplined force,” said Javed Hashmi. “The government could only dictate Punjab while in Karachi it virtually begged MQM chief Altaf Hussain not to boycott the elections but the turn out there remained almost nil.”
He said contrary to the PML-N and other mainstream political parties, Tahirul Qadri, Farooq Khan Leghari and Imran Khan were given a free check to continue their canvassing by holding public meetings in the presence of a ban on outdoor political parties but they met a terrible fate.
He said the PML-N would devise its own strategy in connection with 5th phase of the local government elections on July 5th in the CWC meeting.
