Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Secretary-General Ahsan Iqbal has taken a jibe at Prime Minister Imran Khan's party, saying the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) wants to introduce electronic voting because it has repeatedly faced defeat in the elections.
Speaking to mediapersons here, Iqbal said that electronic voting was "yet another drama" staged by the ruling PTI to rig the elections, reported Geo News.
"The PTI did not think of introducing electoral reforms in the last three years but suddenly came up with the idea of electronic voting after facing defeat in by-polls again and again," said Iqbal.
"The Karachi by-election proved that PML-N is the only successful party in Sindh. The people of Karachi are with PML-N," he added.
Slamming the Prime Minister, the opposition leader said that Imran Khan "cannot dare" to dissolve the assembly, adding that it seemed that he was enjoying a picnic instead of running a government.
Iqbal's comments come after Khan made an offer to the opposition to sit down with the government and bring electoral reforms, stressing that technology is the only solution to allegations of rigged elections, Geo News reported.
Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) Qadir Khan Mandokhail has emerged victorious in the NA-249 by-election in Karachi by a margin of 16,156 votes, according to provisional results released early on Friday.
PML-N's Miftah Ismail came second with 15,473 votes, followed by the candidate from the recently banned Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), Mufti Nazeer Ahmed Kamalvi, who secured 11,125 votes, Dawn reported citing unofficial results.
The PTI and PML-N have rejected the results of the by-election. Federal Minister for Shipping and Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi claimed it was "obvious the crooked PPP and the provincial election commission were hand in glove in this mess!"
"In an election held in the biggest city of Pakistan, with very low turnout, 8 hrs later every candidate is crying foul except one who was nowhere in the run!" he tweeted.
On the other hand, PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz claimed that the election was stolen by "only a few hundred votes".
"Election stolen from PMLN by only a few hundred votes. ECP must withhold the results of one of the most disputed & controversial elections. Even if it doesn't, this victory will be temporary and will Insha'Allah come back to PMLN soon," she tweeted.
The NA-249 seat had fallen vacant after PTI's Faisal Vawda resigned over his dual nationality controversy and became a senator.
( With inputs from ANI )
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