LAHORE: Pakistan’s incoming prime minister Nawaz Sharif Tuesday pledged to work with his rival Imran Khan for the good of the country as he visited the cricketer-turned-politician in hospital.
During campaigning Sharif and his PML-N party were harshly criticised by Khan, who is recovering from a fractured spine after falling from a makeshift lift taking him to the stage during a rally last Tuesday.
Khan had said Sharif was on a list drawn up of 500 corrupt people who would face the consequences if he was elected. But Sharif told media outside the hospital that they had sorted out their differences.
“I told him that we should work together to bring prosperity to the people of Pakistan. He also said that we should remove our anger,” Sharif said.
“We have completely solved our differences today. He assured me of a good working relationship.”
Partial official results released Tuesday confirmed Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) on 123 seats, with the Pakistan People’s Party on 31, and Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on 26. Another 18 of the 272 directly elected seats in the national assembly are still to be declared.
Khan electrified the campaign with his calls for a new Pakistan, galvanising the youth and urban middle class in particular with promises to end corruption, introduce tax reform and stand up to the Americans.
He promised a “tsunami” that would sweep him into power, but has now vowed to go into opposition and try to form a government in the Taliban-hit northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“He congratulated me for victory and I also congratulated him for his victory in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province,” Sharif said.
“We don’t have any personal rivalry. Pakistan is in trouble and we should work together to give a better Pakistan to next generations.”
Re: NS to IK: Let us work together for the good of the country
That is all fine but it doesn't also mean that parties should not exercise their democratic right to report their grievances to the ECP or the Supreme Court esp. since there is now undeniable evidence of rigging in some constituencies. Otherwise the same will happen in the by-elections and the next general election
The ECP must reexamine (match thumb impressions etc.) and recount all the constituencies where:
voter turnout was > actual registered votes (incl. IK's constituency in Mianwali) i.e. all 139 polling stations affected by it
voter turnout was 100% i.e. 49 polling stations .... as they say *naqal k liye bhi aqal chahiye
*That being said a nice gesture by NS. Let's see if his actions match his words.
Re: NS to IK: Let us work together for the good of the country
Its easy for NS to play the diplomat, now that he has been gifted a non-split mandate by the EC. At the end of the day, he knows that he can play friends, and still get to do what he wants, as he wont have to contend with any opposition on the house floor. And that is the most dangerous part. If he had received a unified mandate through legitimate means, it would have been welcome, but history tells us that whenever a party grabs a unified mandate through rigging, it is always for the wrong reasons.
Re: NS to IK: Let us work together for the good of the country
There's no issue in having a friendly rapport, but PTI needs to play the role of an opposition which is very important. No more friendly oppositions please.
Re: NS to IK: Let us work together for the good of the country
There's no issue in having a friendly rapport, but PTI needs to play the role of an opposition which is very important. No more friendly oppositions please.
Nawaz Sharif can never become Imran Khan no matter how many seats he win in the national elections. Imran Khan can unite the people from all diversified regions and ethnicities in Pakistan where Nawaz Sharif will always rely on Punjab voters. It's very important for Pakistan for the much needed nation building that PTI now works seriously to become an electoral force. They have 5 years to do their home work now. I wish them all the best for the sake of Pakistan..
Re: NS to IK: Let us work together for the good of the country
I agree with what you’re saying, but there were over 70k polling stations & < 1% of poling stations reported some rigging. So, that would not significantly tilt election results one way or the other. Thats why PTIers should not act like sore losers & instead accept the results and move on.
ISLAMABAD: Despite allegations of vote rigging in certain parts of the country, international election observers on Monday declared that Saturday’s landmark parliamentary polls were free and fair.
In its interim report, the European Union, which deployed the largest foreign election observer mission in Pakistan, said the voting at 90% of the polling stations remained ‘satisfactory’.
However, ‘serious irregularities’ were reported on the remaining 10% polling stations mostly in Sindh, said Chief Observer Michael Gahler while releasing the preliminary findings of EU observers during a news conference.
“Overall, this election in Pakistan was indeed a step forward towards democracy,” added Gahler, who also headed the EU mission in 2002 and 2008 parliamentary elections.
He said the EU mission undertook limited observation in Karachi, where they saw some ‘serious problems’ in polling. Karachi was the focus of most complaints reported by rival political parties.
Responding to a question, Gahler said they took note of threats by Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain about ‘detaching’ Karachi from the rest of Pakistan. “Let’s see what action the British government takes against its citizen,” he said.
Over 140 EU observers scrutinised polling, counting and the compilation of results covering in total 679 polling stations in 140 constituencies.
Gahler noted that compared to 2008, the number of women National Assembly candidates were doubled, from 64 to 158, and almost tripled for the provincial assembly seats from 116 to 298.
Reading out the interim assessment, the chief observer said strong commitment was shown to the democratic process by political parties, candidates and voters, who continued to participate in the electoral process despite high levels of militant attacks in parts of the country.
“Violence by non-state actors did not deter voters from casting their votes in unprecedented numbers and reconfirming their determined support for democratic rule,” the report noted. It also pointed out that there was increased confidence in the Election Commission, which had undertaken some stakeholder consultation and was generally seen as operating with more independence.
The ECP, however, has not used its broad powers to establish a complete regulatory framework, leaving critical aspects of the election open to discretion and the ECP vulnerable to inadequate decision-making, it added.
Regarding access of European Union Mission in Balochistan and Fata, Gahler said “Pakistan did not stop us from observing the electoral process there but we ourselves showed restraint due to our own staff security rules.”
Meanwhile, a separate mission by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) recommended that polling results be declared null and void in constituencies where women were not allowed to vote.
In its interim report, the Commonwealth Observer Mission said 2013 elections represented ‘notable progress for Pakistan towards holding fully democratic elections.’
Re: NS to IK: Let us work together for the good of the country
I agree with what you're saying, but there were over 70k polling stations & < 1% of poling stations reported some rigging. So, that would not significantly tilt election results one way or the other. Thats why PTIers should not act like sore losers & instead accept the results and move on
Sorry do not agree and it is not about PTI but all the parties who have been hard done by rigging. While it won't change the overall mandate (I have already said it many times that rigging or no rigging, NS would have won it because of his strong following among biradris in Punjab esp. the tajir biradri or small businesses), it would be gross injustice to the candidates (who have spent their time, money and energy) who have been affected by it, if ECP does not re-examine the results of the said polling stations. This is NOT about changing the overall result but giving justice to those candidates
Re: NS to IK: Let us work together for the good of the country
While it won't change the overall mandate (I have already said it many times that rigging or no rigging, NS would have won it because of his strong following among biradris in Punjab esp. the tajir biradri or small businesses), it would be gross injustice to the candidates (who have spent their time, money and energy) who have been affected by it, if ECP does not re-examine the results of the said polling stations. This is NOT about changing the overall result but giving justice to those candidates
It IS about changing the overall result.
Remember, this rigging has given PML-N simple majority, enough to legislate without any opposition whatsoever. And that is dangerous, specially with a rigged mandate. I agree that even in fair elections, PML-N would still be the single largest party in the NA, but it would have to deal with healthy debates and opposition when it comes to passing laws. But now with simple majority, debates in the NA will be ceremonial, and PML-N can pass laws with impunity.
Re: NS to IK: Let us work together for the good of the country
Sorry do not agree and it is not about PTI but all the parties who have been hard done by rigging. While it won't change the overall mandate (I have already said it many times that rigging or no rigging, NS would have won it because of his strong following among biradris in Punjab esp. the tajir biradri or small businesses), it would be gross injustice to the candidates (who have spent their time, money and energy) who have been affected by it, if ECP does not re-examine the results of the said polling stations. This is NOT about changing the overall result but giving justice to those candidates
Exactly.
If we dont raise the issue now,rigging will go on for yrs to come.
Re: NS to IK: Let us work together for the good of the country
The system will never flawless as long its run by human beings. These kind of problem exist even in countries like the US. So, rigging at 49 polling stations of even 100 polling stations would not make difference as for as the election results go.
The historic elections are finally over. A significant majority of Pakistanis exercised their right to vote for their favoured parties and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has emerged as the leading party in the national assembly followed by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Predictions made by most analysts have been proven wrong in the wake of elections as Imran Khan’s PTI has emerged as a big political force winning a considerable number of seats in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and in the national assembly. At places where it did not win, it emerged as the runner up with a sizeable number of votes.
A lot of Pakistanis cast their votes for the first time in their lives and PTI was the clear favourite of the urban middle class educated Pakistanis. As the results started pouring in, however, there was a widespread display of shock and dismay.
Psychology tells us that the first stage of grief is usually denial. Here, this manifested in allegations of massive rigging by the youth on social media.
This anger and denial was channeled into hatred of the winning party and all sorts of disgusting memes appeared on the internet in the last 72 hours.
The following are some pictures that showcase the ‘sore loser’ and utterly disrespectful attitude shown by a majority of PTI fans.
Re: NS to IK: Let us work together for the good of the country
**From the blog:
I can’t even begin to mention the countless abuses and cuss words hurled at anyone disagreeing with PTI’s narrative on social media. If you exercised your right to vote for PML-N, you are automatically labelled as a nihari loving *****paindoo. **
*
So true! Even certificate for alive Karachi issued when there were some dharnas
Re: NS to IK: Let us work together for the good of the country
Oh bhai you guys are also acting like kids. NS is the rightful winner but try and explain your logic to the candidates who have been affected by the rigging, who invested their time, money and energy in the election
Some PTIans are too impulsive and abusive for sure but I have always distanced myself from them
Let me predict already. PML-N is here to to stay. Even if they provide reasonable governance, I expect them to win again in 2018
Re: NS to IK: Let us work together for the good of the country
**From the blog:
I can’t even begin to mention the countless abuses and cuss words hurled at anyone disagreeing with PTI’s narrative on social media. If you exercised your right to vote for PML-N, you are automatically labelled as a nihari loving ****paindoo. *
*
This is the flip side of the non-PTI folks, who have been labeling PTI followers as burgers and mummy daddy folks.
And just for the record, abusive language attributed to PTI comes from social media, anonymous folks...whereas labels like burger/mummy daddy and others have come from party officials like Maryam Nawaz, Zaeem Qadri, Ahsan Iqbal, Saad Rafique, Shahbaz Sharif... you name it.
You decide whats worse......an immature follower, or immature leaders.
Re: NS to IK: Let us work together for the good of the country
The system will never flawless as long its run by human beings. These kind of problem exist even in countries like the US. So, rigging at 49 polling stations of even 100 polling stations would not make difference as for as the election results go.
There were around 100 EU observers in the entire country.....who conducted random checks on polling stations, and found 49 stations with irregularities. And as you said, there were more than 70k polling stations.
You can disregard the direct evidences of rigging that have come in from across the country, but that does not make them wrong. Enough rigging was done in order to ensure a non-split mandate for PML-N....and that is an evil intent....dangerous for the country.
Finally, if the rigging had been against PML-N, they would have been crying foul as well. So its not wrong to complain about the theft of the sanctity of your vote. Its a right. People flew in from all over the world to vote, only to find that their votes had already been cast, or they were not allowed to vote for various reason. Fair enough? I think not.
Re: NS to IK: Let us work together for the good of the country
Nawaz Sharif is trying to neutralize the opposition by cozying up with Imran Khan in such manner. Imran Khan only won a small number of seats, what kind of help Nawaz Sharif is seeking from him?
Re: NS to IK: Let us work together for the good of the country
The good for the country would start with NS paying all his taxes. How can he even ask others to be honest with their tax affairs when he himself is one of the biggest tax chor.
Re: NS to IK: Let us work together for the good of the country
Oh bhai you guys are also acting like kids. NS is the rightful winner but try and explain your logic to the candidates who have been affected by the rigging, who invested their time, money and energy in the election
Some PTIans are too impulsive and abusive for sure but I have always distanced myself from them
Let me predict already. PML-N is here to to stay. Even if they provide reasonable governance, I expect them to win again in 2018
Not sure about 2018, last time he won 2/3rd majority and the same people who voted for him were dancing and distributing mithai 3 years later when Musharraf took over. Talk about being fickle.
Re: NS to IK: Let us work together for the good of the country
This time I don't expect PML-N to repeat the same mistakes. They would be more diplomatic and flexible and they would do much better than the clueless PPP on the economic front
As always Punjab is the key (148 out of 272 NA seats). Can PTI or any other party incl. PPP penetrate the biradris/rural population significantly enough over the next 5 years to hurt PML-N, I am not so sure about that
