ISLAMABAD: PTI leader Omar Ayub Khan addressing the National Assembly on March 3, 2024. SCREENGRAB
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) nominee for prime minister Omar Ayub Khan launched a scathing attack on the coalition government during a National Assembly session on Sunday, describing it as a “fascist” regime focused solely on looting Pakistan’s resources without any ideology. Omar Ayub Khan, addressing the assembly, voiced grievances over what he perceived as unfair electoral practices, stating, “We did not get the seats that we should’ve gotten, so the election of speaker, deputy speaker and prime minister has become illegal.”
Referring to the members of coalition government in the house as “beneficiaries” of Form-47, Khan asserted that had the results been announced as per Form-45, PTI would have secured 180 seats in the National Assembly.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the media coverage, Khan remarked, “When PM-elect Shehbaz Sharif was speaking, the camera was on him, adding that his speech should also be covered live.”
“I want to tell the people of Pakistan that the people of the PML-N and other parties sitting here appear to be defeated; their faces indicate that they have been given stolen mandate. When a thief is fleeing after stealing, there is fear on his face,” Khan added. The PTI leader highlighted recent protests held by the party against alleged electoral malpractice, revealing that cases were filed against 80 PTI members in Lahore alone. He criticized the coalition’s claims of democracy in light of these actions.
“You have snatched our electoral symbol from us, you have snatched the result of Form 45, but we stood, we are standing, and we will stand until Imran Khan takes the oath of prime minister,” Khan declared. Demanding accountability for the violence on May 9, Khan called for a judicial inquiry into the incidents, urging the release of video footage to uncover the truth. The session witnessed tension as PML-N leaders, including Atta Tarar, Osama Sarwar, and Anjum Aqeel, rallied around Khan, chanting slogans of “watch thief”. However, upon a request from Asad Qaiser, PML-N MNAs ceased the slogans and returned to their seats.
