FAISALABAD - Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf has said the days of engineering the elections were over and the PPP will sweep the upcoming elections.
“Now no one can play ‘Jhurloo’ in elections as tehsildars and patwaris can no more facilitate in rigging the elections,” he said while addressing a public gathering at Pakistan’s textile hub on Saturday.
The Supreme Court verdict in Asghar Khan case was an eye-opener that exposed those who manipulated the polls results in the past, he added.
Dancing to the tune of drums, hundreds of enthusiastic party workers arrived at the venue – Iqbal Stadium, which was decorated with huge tri-colour banners, portraits of the leaders and flags of PPP and Peoples Youth Organisation.
Raja Pervaiz claimed the PPP has overwhelming support of the masses and whenever there is free, fair and transparent election, the party succeeds with a vast majority. He said today there were no more fake voters and the 100,000 bogus votes of Faisalabad constituencies were now a thing of the past.
The gathering was also attended by Punjab Governor Latif Khosa, PPP Punjab President Manzoor Wattoo, Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Raja Raiz Ahmad, Minister of State for Science and Technology Raheela Baloch, Tanveer Ashraf Kaira, Rana Aftab, Abda Hussian, Sugra Imam and others.
PM Raja said it was the political acumen of President Asif Ali Zardari that led the country to get rid of the dictator President Pervez Musharraf, whose ouster was previously believed to be impossible. It also goes to the credit of President Zardari that ‘all’ the presidential powers were handed over to the parliament.
Raja said he was proud to belong to the middle class and he as a ‘worker Prime Minister’ was proud to address his fellow workers. The prime minister said the post of the prime minister was open to all PPP workers. Many other parties spoke about democracy, but never exercised it practically, he said.
“We are helping 7 million households through the Benazir Income Support Programme, across the country,” he said and announced that the programme will be increased four times, if the party succeeds in next polls.
The PM announced Rs 1.5 million as cash award for snooker champion Muhammad Asif and offered him a job of his choice and invited Asif to visit him, as he was the pride of the country.