Rejecting poll results on Friday, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) are currently holding an All Parties Conference (APC) in Islamabad.
The meeting, which is being chaired by PML-N president Shehbaz and JUI-F chief Fazalur Rehman, will focus on parties’ plan of action regarding the results of the General Election 2018.
APC is being held at JI leader Mian Aslam’s house in Sector F-8.
PML-N leaders Shehbaz, Sardar Mehtab, Khurram Dastgir and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi along with JUI-F’s Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Akram Durrani are attending the party.
Qaumi Watan Party head Aftab Sherpao and chief minister of Giligit-Baltistan also arrived to Islamabad to attend the APC.
The provisional, official poll results late Thursday showed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), headed by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, in lead.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan leader Farooq Sattar reached to attend the APC even though MQM-Pakistan had announced to boycott the APC.
Speaking about his appearance, Sattar shared that he is not in contact with Rabita Committee. “I wasn’t aware of the decision to boycott the APC,” he said.
Responding to this, MQM-Pakistan’s Amir Khan had shared that Farooq Sattar was told to not attend the meeting. “Rabita Committee had made a united decision to not attend APC, he added.
Sources had said that the MQM-Pakistan had changed its decision at the last moment after a phone-call with PTI’s Jahangir Tareen.
As PTI workers from across the country celebrated the results, the outgoing PML-N rejected the suggested outcome, citing “outright rigging” and accusing officials of preventing its representatives from overseeing the count.
PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif alleged that the election was rigged and his party will strongly protest the results in the National Assembly. He further said that PML-N would also take up legal proceedings against the poll results.
MMA, a political alliance consisting of conservative, religious, and far-right parties of Pakistan, has also protested against the poll results. President of MMA Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, who lost from both NA-38 and NA-39, said the results were not the public’s mandate.
“This result is not the public’s mandate, in fact, the nation’s mandate was robbed,” Rehman said, further adding that the worst example of rigging had taken place in the General Election 2018. “It won’t be easy to impose this result. We will strongly protest against it.”
Talking to Geo News Thursday night, PML-N leader and former foreign minister Khawaja Asif said Imran’s offer of scrutinising certain electoral constituencies was unnecessary as the law itself gives a candidate this right.
Asif further observed that his party could make a strong opposition in the National Assembly with around 100 seats.
“We can form a strong opposition but like Imran, I cannot curse the assembly, call it fake, and draw a free salary,” Asif lashed out at the PTI chief.
This article is originally published on Geo.tv
