Amid the controversy over irregularities in the Daska by-poll, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday accused government agencies under "vote-thief" Imran Khan of being involved in rigging the elections.
"Agencies, which come under Imran Khan, the vote thief, were involved [in the rigging]," Maryam said, as quoted by Dawn.
"When [they saw] that despite this historic, blatant and naked rigging, PML-N was still in the lead, they kidnapped 20 officials in the garb of fog," she added.
This comes after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) last week had said in a statement that it suspected that the results of 20 polling stations were falsified.
The by-election in the NA-75 constituency for the country's National Assembly was marred by violence at a polling station in the Daska constituency.
The PML-N leader today urged the country's election body to ensure that action is taken against the officials who were allegedly involved in rigging.
Last week, Maryam had said that the ECP suspecting the validity of by-election results of the NA-75 (Daska) constituency is a "charge sheet" against Imran Khan-led government.
As the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had announced that it had won the election, the ECP had said that it suspected that the results of 20 polling stations had been falsified in the by-election for the NA-75 (Daska) constituency, the Dawn reported.
Historically speaking, election rigging in Pakistan has occurred at multiple levels, with the connivance of state institutions, the establishment, polling officers and, of course, political parties and candidates.
Imran Khan's government win in 2018 is also alleged to be poll-rigged by the 11-party opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement.
( With inputs from ANI )
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