Daily Times

Former finance minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ishaq Dar said on Sunday that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was responsible for the current economic situation in the country.

In an interview with a private TV channel, Ishaq Dar said that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had forced over 50 PML-N elected members to join the PTI and other political parties. “This was pre-poll rigging. The entire world raised objections on the general elections in Pakistan,” he said.

Dar said that the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) had been delayed for one year due to the sit-in of the PTI. “The Chinese president could not visit Pakistan due to the sit-in. Before NAB, cases such as cattle theft used to be registered against political opponents to harass and victimise them. The cases of ‘assets beyond means’ belong to the same category. The objective of registering such cases is to suppress opposition members,” he said.

Dar said that according to ‘secret’ reports, the PML-N was leading with 100 to 110 seats in the general elections and the PTI was ahead in only 65 to 70 constituencies.

“At the eleventh hour, a conspiracy was hatched and the national transmission system was sabotaged. The PML-N agents were taken out of the polling booths. Similarly, a large number of PML-N votes were rejected to benefit PTI candidates,” he said.

“The present government is a selected one. It does not represent the will of the people of Pakistan. In the 2013 general elections, the drama by Imran Khan was started from opening of four constituencies and it ended with the claim of 35 punctures. Later, Imran Khan termed it a political statement,” he said.