n PTI leader insists Ch Shujat Hussain’s letter ‘is not valid’ expects Supreme Court to ‘play role’ n PTI will file a petition in Supreme Court: Asad Umar.

LAHORE    -   Following Hamza Shehbaz’s victory in the run-off election for Punjab Chief Minister, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former prime minister Imran Khan Friday asked his supporters and party workers to launch street protests across the country.

Imran also said he ‘now expects the Supreme Court’ to play its role in light of Hamza Shehbaz’s shock win over Parvez Elahi in Punjab CM election. “I am in shock at what happened in the Punjab Assembly,” he said referring to Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari’s ruling to not count PML-Q votes — a decision that reduced PTI-backed Parvez EIahi’s votes from 186 to 176 and handed him a shocking defeat.

The PTI chairman while addressing the public after PML-N’s candidate Hamza Shehbaz retained the post of Punjab CM against Parvez Elahi in the run-off election held in the Punjab Assembly.

“Last night, Asif Zardari reached Lahore. We knew that he had to play a game. For 30 years, he has ruined the country. He buys democracy through black money.” Commenting on Mazari’s contentious ruling, Imran said: “It has clearly been written in Article 63-A that the parliamentary party’s head issues instructions for vote. Shujat Hussain’s letter is not valid.

“This man who is the speaker (Mazari) has no shame that votes have been cast and we have won and then he goes and awards the win to someone else.

Imran, whose party has decided to challenge the deputy speaker’s ruling in the Supreme Court, also addressed the top judiciary in his address.

“I also want to urge the Supreme court that things are clear in front of you. I have done jihad against Zardari and Sharifs for years. I was pressured to give them NRO but I refused. Both of them looted the country,” he said. “Until and unless we bring these dacoits under the rule of law, there is no future for this country. Remember that our children are seeing this.” Hamza’s victory was secured after the deputy speaker rejected PML-Q’s 10 votes.

“Democracy does not have an army. Parliament does not have an army the army is somewhere else. Parliament has one thing which is morality,” the PTI chairman said.

Sharing the example of the UK, Khan said that Britain’s democracy works as Boris Johnson had to resign for holding a party during the coronavirus. “It wasn’t even news here, he had to resign because of that. Democracy is based on morality,” said Imran.

The PTI chairman reminded the people of the “circus” that was seen in the Sindh House ahead of the vote of no-confidence and now today. “Lawmakers were put up for auction in the Sindh House. Asif Zardari has been looting the country for 30 years. All this horse-trading is happening with Sindh’s public money,” he added.

The former prime minister said that after he was removed from office he went to the people, recalling that his peaceful protest was teargassed and homes were raided.”In the by-elections, people turned out like never before. People came out to reject American slavery,” Khan highlighted.

PTI to approach SC

Earlier, PTI Secretary Asad Umar took to his Twitter handle to announce that the party will file a petition in the Supreme Court. Sharing a screengrab of the Supreme Court’s decision, former energy minister Hammad Azhar said that if some “educated person” would have read the third para of page five of the written verdict Shujat and the deputy speaker would have saved their faces.