Power-wielders must learn to respect people’s choice: Raoof

Says PTI emerged largest party as people roared their approval for Khan to be next premier: Raoof 

Warns any effort to derail decision will have deadly consequences

Vows all legal, constitutional rights to be used to deal with polls tampering bids

Says it would be a herculean task to buy consciousness of PTI ideological candidates

DNA

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Central Information Secretary Raoof Hasan announced that PTI has been emerged as a single largest political force in the center as well as in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab, as people have not just spoken but they have roared their approval for PTI Chairman-for-life Imran Khan to be Pakistan’s next prime minister.

Addressing a press conference regarding the results of general elections 2024 here on Friday, PTI Central Information Secretary has said that credit goes to the public for a massive and unprecedented turnout to vote for PTI despite all adversarial circumstances, clearly reflecting their resilience, courage and passion.

Raoof Hasan warned that any effort to derail the decision of the people, as is being feared, will have deadly consequences and the power-wielders must learn to respect people’s choice.

He recalled that PTI had been facing worst reign of terror and fascism for the last two years after toppling of Imran Khan-led government through a regime change conspiracy, as political space was constantly shrinking for us as neither we were allowed to hold a corner meeting what to talk of a public gathering.

PTI Central Information Secretary highlighted that the police raided the homes of PTI’s leaders and tortured workers and leaders whenever they tried to hold even a corner meeting, as all brutal and coercive tactics were used to force them to quit the party.

He lamented that when the results started pouring in last night and the trend clearly showed that PTI was taking a clear lead in the center, KP and Punjab, the polls manipulators first slowdown the process of declarations of results and subsequently halted the process altogether to tamper with the results.

Raoof Hasan pointed out that though the process of declaring polls results were going on a snail pace, PTI candidates were clearly winning with huge margin at several constituencies including Islamabad at night. However, he added that ironically, their clear victory were converted into defeat in the morning because political engineering were going on behind the scene. 

Lashing out at the ECP, PTI Central Information Secretary said that the role of the electoral watchdog always remained a very questionable, as every time its system collapsed suddenly at the eleventh hour to tamper with the polls results and it only restarted after completion of the engineering process.

He made it clear that PTI was emerging as a lead political force in the center, KP and Punjab but efforts were afoot to manipulate the results in the center and Punjab to establish governments of their choice.

However, Raoof Hasan vowed that PTI would exercise all legal and constitutional rights to frustrate all bids to tamper with the elections results.

PTI Central Information Secretary highly appreciated the party workers and people for turning the table over the political opponents, which, he added, was a clear proof of the historic power exercised by their beloved leader despite being in incarceration, which is unprecedented in the political history.

He further stated that PTI Founding Chairman would never strike a deal with the powers that be until establishing ascendency of democracy and its acceptance in true sense, adding that PTI would use legal and constitutional means to block the undue inference of non-political forces in political affairs.

However, Raoof Hasan stressed the need that time was ripe to let the democracy flourish in the country and allowed the party enjoying a genuine public mandate to constitute government with full authority. He suggested that the powers-wielders should shun the past practice of stealing public mandate to establish a weak government because it would be neither sustainable nor capable to steer the country out of the prevailing quagmire. 

To a question, he reiterated that PTI wanted formation of an independent judicial commission on May 9 incidents so as to identify and punish the actual culprits.

Raoof Hasan also demanded that an empowered commission should be constituted to probe February 9 polls fraud in order expose the elements involved in polls tempering so as to hold them accountable.

Answering another question, PTI Central Information Secretary stated that PTI did not believe in avenge, as there was a special chapter in PTI manifesto of “wounds healing”, thus we will leave no stone unturned to heal the wounds of the country inflicted on it during the past 75 years.

Raoof Hasan went on to say that undoubtedly, Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif would make all-out efforts and become active again to buy the consciousness of PTI elected candidates. However, he vowed that PTI was purified and transferred drastically during the last two years; hence it would be a hard nut to crack to buy the consciousness of PTI ideological candidates this time around.

He vowed that PTI would exercise all constitutional and legal rights to protect and safeguard its reserved seats. Raoof Hasan said that Nawaz Sharif, who was all-set to deliver his victory speech like he did in 2013, walked out of the meeting last night in great anger after seeing his and his party humiliating drubbing.

To another question, he replied that PTI has already started consultation process regarding future course of actions but physically meeting did not possible since most of the elected candidates are either in jails or underground.