MULTAN -  PTI Vice Chairman Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that more important personalities will defect from PML-N and PPP to Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI), and both the parties would hardly find even a single candidate in the coming 2018 election.

Speaking at a public gathering in NA-157 on Tuesday, he added that the wave of change had started blowing in the country and Imran Khan’s caravan had started moving towards its destination. He said that both the PML-N and PPP were afraid of PTI’s popularity as their prominent leaders had joined PTI. He said that the people of Pakistan would lay foundation of a new Pakistan on July 25 where there would be rule of law.

Commenting on caretaker set-up, he welcomed the nomination of Justice (retd) Nasirul Mulk as caretaker prime minister, and said that the PTI hoped that he would nominate such administrative officers and members of cabinet who would hold free, fair and transparent elections in the country. He said that the leader and opposition leader of the house discharged their national obligations and nominated Justice Nasirul Mulk. He said that the PTI welcomed the nomination. He said that the PTI had one-point stance on caretaker set-up that they should hold free, fair and transparent election.

He said that Justice Nasirul Mulk led the commission which was formed by the Chief Justice during the sit-in of PTI. He added that the ruling given by Justice Nasirul Mulk regarding sit-in was before the nation while he also knew all the facts about 2013 elections. He hoped that the caretaker prime minister would play a strong role in elections.

Earlier, he said that South Punjab province is not an election stunt rather it is a long-standing demand of the local people.

He added that it was a good omen that both PPP and PML-N had expressed their willingness to create South Punjab province which was reflective of the fact that national consensus was developing on the issue. “If it had been an election stunt, why would have Prime Minister Abbasi promised that next N Government would create the province,” he noted.

He said that the past governments kept the region backward and handed just deprivations to the residents of South Punjab. He maintained that the South Punjab region was given under the supervision of Takht-e-Lahore but now the time had come to elimination the deprivations of South Punjab.

“Both the PPP and PML-N have been in the government in the past. If both the parties had been willing, new province would have been created but both the parties befooled the residents of the region in the name of province and got votes,” he alleged. He maintained that the PPP and PML-N leaders attained high offices with the help of votes of residents of South Punjab and then disappeared, forgetting the poor people of the region.

He asserted that the practice would not continue anymore as new province was part of PTI’s manifesto and it would fulfill the long-standing demand of residents of South Punjab after coming to government. He said that the province was part of first 100-day agenda of PTI but the people would have to get the PTI clear majority first so that it could implement its agenda after coming to power.

He said that the election schedule had been announced by the Election Commission and now it was his request to the PTI workers to spend all of their energies on election process. “Take Imran Khan’s message door to door, convince men, women and elderly citizens to vote for PTI so as to ensure their bright future,” he added. He said that he could predict confidently that the future was PTI’s and Imran Khan would be the next prime minister of Pakistan. Earlier, former UC Nazim Rana Sher Afgan announced to join PTI along with his entire group.