Peoples Party says Imran Khan’s turn to go to jail.

ISLAMABAD    -   Pakistan People’s Party chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari yesterday said that PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari all along had defeated the political opponents in the Chief Minister’s elections in Punjab.

“Aik Zardari Sab Pe Bhaari (one Zardari outweighs all),” Bilawal tweeted after Hamza Shehbaz retained his post as the CM of the country’s largest and most influential province. Hamza Shehbaz was elected as the Chief Minister of the Punjab province by securing majority of votes in the runoff election.

Hamza Shahbaz secured 179 votes whereas Chaudhry Parvez Elahi – the Joint Candidate of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam) – bagged 176 votes.

Although 186 votes were cast in favour of Parvez Elahi, the Deputy Speaker refused to count the 10 votes cast by the PML-Q lawmakers citing Article 63 (1) (A) of the Constitution of Pakistan. Therefore, the parliamentary strength of the opposition alliance was reduced to 176.

Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari read out a letter written by PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujat Hussain requesting the members of his party to vote for Hamza Shehbaz.

The Deputy Speaker maintained that the lawmakers violated the order of Chaudhry Shujat Hussain and rejected all the votes cast by the members of the PML-Q. PPP leader Abdul Qadir Patel, the sitting Federal Health Minister, said Zardari served a lot of jail time and now it was PTI chief Imran Khan’s turn.

“Zardari is a politician who believes in democracy. The PTI must accept that they have been defeated. It’s now Imran Khan’s turn to go to jail,” he said after the CM’s elections. PPPP leader Shazia Marri said Zardari had always preferred reconciliation over politics. “Today Zardari and Chaudhry Shujat strengthened the politics of tolerance. PTI has now started a tradition of abuse and threats,” she said.

Marri, who is the federal minister for poverty alleviation, said the PML-Q chief’s directive was clear in his letter to the Deputy Speaker Punjab Assembly. “Imran Khan as the party chief had also given such instructions on which the court gave a decision. Zardari’s political insight and style succeeded once again,” she maintained.