LAHORE - Special Assistant to Chief Minister (SACM) and Punjab government’s spokesman Hasaan Khawar has said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will itself take action against those responsible for the irregularities in Daska by-election, adding that the government will also take action against those whose names are mentioned in the report.

“The complaints of rigging can only be eradicated through electoral reforms. But, the opposition has an old habit of rigging elections, and that is why it is afraid of electoral reforms,” he said while addressing a press conference here.

He said that comprehensive electoral reforms had been the main agenda of the PTI since the day first. Hasaan Khawar further stated if the opposition wanted to do politics by protesting on the streets, it should resign and sit at home instead of clinging to positions in the Parliament. He said that the whole world was facing economic difficulties. “The 20 years old inflation record in Canada, 12 years in the United States, nine years in England and 26 years record of inflation in China has been broken. But, unlike the Pakistani opposition, no one in these countries has left democracy and advocated unconstitutional and undemocratic measures.”

Punjab govt’s spokesman says complaints of rigging can only be eradicated thru electoral reforms

Hasaan Khawar said that the government was introducing a Food Support Programme in order to redress the grievances of the public. The programme will also benefit the grocery stores. He said that the ex-refinery price of petrol had been increased by Rs11, but the government transferred the burden of only Rs8 per liter on the public. Hasaan Khawar said that for the first time in the last 70 years Pakistan’s exports had increased. “We are ahead of the world in economic development. Our large-scale manufacturing, reserves and remittances have substantially increased,” he maintained.

Talking about the price of sugar, he said that people should use the available sugar at Rs90 per kg and support the government in action against the sugar mills. “The price of local sugar has come down adequately due to indiscriminate action against the sugar mafia on the instructions of Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar,” he said, adding that deliberate delay in crushing of sugarcane by Sindh government showed that intentions of “Saeen Sarkar” was not pure.