Khawaja Asif: 2018 elections were rigged to bring PTI to power

ISLAMABAD: Senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and former defense minister Khawaja Asif has made some bold statements in the programme Hum Dekhen Gey with Mansoor Ali Khan on HUM News.

Asif stated that PML-N Supremo Nawaz Sharif’s return is expected even before September 16, based on recent meeting of Nawaz Sharif with Shehbaz Sharif.

During the programme, Host Mansoor Ali Khan brought up the analysis suggesting that Nawaz Sharif’s return might not yield positive outcomes for the PML-N given the current economic challenges and inflation experienced during the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) tenure.

Reflecting on his party’s performance, Asif said, “I agree that we do not have any report card highlighting progress over the past 15 months, however, our party’s tenure remained free of major scandals”.

Addressing the controversial 2018 elections, Asif said that “2018 elections were rigged, leading to the rise of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) to power. Violation of the constitution through rigging was evident, and “those” responsible for rigging had admitted to their actions”.

Furthermore, Khawaja Asif commented on the state of the country’s ethics and character under the leadership of the PTI chief. He expressed concern that the actions of PTI chief seemed to deviate from the essence of politics.

Meanwhile, speaking on the AlQadir case, Asif mentioned his role as the head of the committee formed to investigate the matter. Responding to questions about Malik Riaz’s involvement and the lack of his arrest, Asif asserted that if Riaz is implicated, he should be held accountable. He stressed that sustaining a corrupt system would have detrimental long-term consequences for the country.

Nevertheless, looking back at the period following Zia-ul-Haq’s rule, Asif highlighted the damage inflicted on Pakistan post Zia period.

“In the period following Zia-ul-Haq’s era, Pakistan suffered as it became subservient to the US during the Afghan war, impacting our cultural fabric. Our cultural heritage was eroded, and terrorism infiltrated our society during Zia’s rule, with him exploiting it for personal gains,” Khawaja Asif affirmed.