Former ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which has been facing accusations of being given preferential treatment by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Peoples Party, claimed that it was denied a level playing field in the past.
Addressing the Senate session on Friday, Leader of the House Ishaq Dar said: “We were not given level playing field.” He said that PML-N issued a “white paper” on massive rigging during the 2018 elections.
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Dar said there should be a level playing field for all, stressing that credible elections are important for the country. He said we then should also have the magnanimity to accept the election results with open hearts.
The former finance minister emphasised the importance of free, fair, and transparent elections to take forward the country.
“Constitution says that elections should be held within 90 days [after the dissolution of an assembly] but [we] should look into other clauses of the Constitution too.”
The PML-N leader said that the demand for holding polls within 90 days was “unconstitutional” after the approval of the census.
Last month, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari — while addressing a public rally in Muzaffargarh — took a subtle jibe at the PML-N — by saying that it is “really a weird thing that a certain party has given the date for the election”.
On September 19, Bilawal had come down hard on PML-N for ‘denying’ level-playing field. He said that their concerns regarding the level-playing field were especially with a particular political party, which is PML-N.
As the time of general elections drew nearer, the rift between the former allies grew with the PPP persistently voicing concerns regarding the absence of equal opportunities to prove itself ahead of the polls.
On the other hand, PTI had been complaining that it was not being given equal opportunities for electioneering — as scores of its workers and leaders, including Imran Khan, remain behind bars.
The situation also took a turn when the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and President Arif Alvi agreed a day earlier that general polls would be staged in the country on February 8, 2024.
With parties getting engaged in electioneering, PPP and PTI believe that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif is also being given preferential treatment.
Nawaz Sharif— who left for London in November 2019 for medical treatment following the Lahore High Court’s approval — returned to Pakistan on October 21, after ending four years of self-imposed exile.
The former prime minister, since his return, has had his pleas restored by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against accountability courts’ conviction verdicts in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases.
Lamenting the relief granted to the PML-N leader, the incarcerated PTI chief said: “The only way a convicted criminal could be allowed to return to politics with a clean chit is by destroying State institutions. And hence, what we are witnessing is a complete collapse of our justice system.”
He slammed the “complete collapse of our justice system” and termed the PML-N supremo’s return to the country as the execution of London “agreement”.
