Shehbaz demands formation of parliamentary body to probe into 'election rigging'
The PML-N president questioned the legitimacy of the July 25 election.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif Friday decried alleged rigging in the recently held general election.
Addressing the National Assembly after losing to Imran Khan in the polling for the slot of prime minister, Shehbaz questioned the legitimacy of the July 25 election.
“A political party was targeted in the election. This parliament has come to pass as a result of massive rigging. People won’t accept such results,” he added.
The former Punjab chief minister also demanded the formation of a parliamentary committee to investigate alleged rigging in election. “We want a third party audit into election results. We want transparency,” he added.
Shehbaz also warned of protests by the grand opposition if the incoming government failed to address their reservations. “We won’t have other options but to take to the streets to record our protests,” he said.
Imran Khan elected PM
Lawmakers earlier endorsed Imran Khan as their next prime minister, ahead of a ceremony that should see the World Cup cricket hero sworn in as leader of the nuclear-armed nation.
Imran scraped together a simple majority in a confidence vote held in the lower house of parliament, three weeks after an election tainted by claims of military meddling and ballot rigging.
"Imran Khan has secured 176 votes," National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser said after the vote, broadcast live from the lower house of parliament.
He had needed 172 votes for a majority. His only rival, Shahbaz Sharif of the ousted Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), won 96 votes, Qaiser said, with some opposition parties including the third-largest Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) abstaining from the vote.
