Daily Times

PTI leader Omer Ayub on Tuesday said party founder Imran Khan had nominated Amir Dogar for the position of National Assembly speaker while Junaid Khan was picked for the slot of deputy speaker.

The announcement was made after Ayub and other party leaders held a string of meetings with the imprisoned PTI chief at Adiala Jail.

Dogar served as the chief whip in the NA during the PTI government. He also served as the special assistant to the prime minister on political affairs during Imran’s tenure. Dogar was also among the several PTI leaders who were arrested in the aftermath of the May 9 riots.

Dogar won the February 8 general elections from Multan’s NA-149 constituency. He has been once again appointed as the PTI chief whip in the lower house of the Parliament. Meanwhile, Junaid Khan – Imran’s nominee for the NA deputy speaker – had emerged victorious in the polls from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Malakand district.

In his media talk, Ayub stated that Junaid was one of the oldest members of the PTI and had proved his allegiance with the party despite a myriad of challenges. “God willing, the PTI will form governments,” he added. Ayub also announced that the PTI will hold peaceful protests across the country on Saturday (March 2) against alleged rigging in the Feb 8 elections.

“The massive rigging in the polls […] the way several returning officers reduced our seats through Form-45s, we will protest against this along with several other parties,” he said.

“This kind of rigging never took place in the history of Pakistan,” Ayub alleged, adding that the mandate of the public was stolen.

“Last night, our seat in Lodhran was snatched during recounting […] we will fight against this until our last breath, we will go to the courts, we will protest in the assemblies and we will also mobilise the public. “Because the nation gave the mandate to Imran Khan,” he said. “Our quaid has taught us to fight till the last ball and our jihad is for the truth. This is why the people of Pakistan have given us a majority and we have the Form-45s with us,” the PTI leader added.

Separately, PTI leader Asad Qaiser said the PTI will take the “next step” and chalk a way forward after gathering concerns regarding the general elections across the board. “We have a one-point agenda that whenever elections are held in the country they should be free and fair,” he said in a media talk outside Adiala Jail.

“We will continue our struggle in the country as per the law and Constitution,” Qaiser said, urging the public to participate in PTI’s peaceful protest on Saturday.