Senate polls in Pakistan were rigged, says Nawaz Sharif

Islamabad: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday expressed surprise over some political parties bagging Senate seats without having substantial representation in the provincial assemblies, saying, ‘this shows rigging.’

Speaking to reporters here outside the accountability court hearing corruption cases against him, Mr Sharif said: “It is crucial to get to the bottom of this. This system should change. This game of money should be buried. This has happened in the past but this time it was too open and brazen.”

He complained that in Saturday’s Senate elections, lawmakers had difficulty recognising Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) candidates since they were contesting as independents without any party symbol owing to the recent Supreme Court decision.

Talking about the party’s victory in Sunday’s by-election in Sargodha, the disqualified PML-N president commended the party’s victory with around 20,000 votes, saying ‘will they erase us by snatching our symbol?’

“This should serve as an eye opener...the more injustice that is meted out to us the bigger the public reaction and support for PML-N,” said Mr Sharif, adding that people are now aware and feel that the PML-N’s stand was correct.

“Now the people are saying this - respect the vote,” said the former premier, referring to his oft-repeated slogan since his disqualification in July last year.

The three-time PM asserted that the people of Pakistan are not a herd of cattle that can be steered to any direction.

“I am pleased to see that the public is getting smarter and is revolting. They should be. Their elected leader was thrown out by four-five people without reason,” he said, adding that he did not murder or rob anyone, is not a drug smuggler, a ‘Godfather or Sicilian Mafia’.

Mr Sharif said it was important to stand up to injustice, stating that “this is my country and your country.”

He said further that the time for directing the ‘herd’ has passed, claiming that “they are declaring me disqualified but the people are accepting me even more.”

“One has to call a spade a spade,” he said further, adding that “what’s wrong is wrong,” he added.