If PTI founder is a thief, we all are thieves: Pir Pagara

HYDERABAD: Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) Chief Pir Sibghatullah Shah Rashdi, popularly known as Pir Pagara, said that the General Elections 2024 were ‘sold’ three months back, ARY News reported.

Addressing GDA’s protest demonstration against ‘rigging’ in the elections at Hyderabad Bypass, Pir Pagara said that he did not hold election campaign as the elections were already ‘sold’.

“This elections showed that no party represents the centre as no one emerged as a leader at the national level,” he added.

Pir Pagara said that the GDA’s protest is not against any party or institution but against ‘rigging’ in the elections. The GDA chief said that in the current circumstances, the coalition government would not last for more than 10 months.

Pir Pagara said that a large number of youth came out on February 8 and voted for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) backed independent candidates across the country.

“No one was expecting the independent candidates to secure votes in massive numbers but for the first time in Pakistan’s history independent aspirants got the majority,” the GDA chief said.

Pir Pagara said that the PTI was ‘expelled’ from the electoral process on the basis of Intra-party elections. “I don’t consider Imran Khan a thief. If he is a thief, we all are thieves too,” the GDA chief said.

Speaking on the occasion, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi Chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) could not receive even 100,000 votes from the city yet it was ‘awarded’ 15 National Assembly seats.

“PTI and JI were not given even a single National Assembly seat from Karachi despite securing more than one million votes,” he said.

Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that his party has Forms 45 of all constituencies, according to which the JI and the PTI clinched the majority of seats from Karachi.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam leader Rashid Soomro said that demanded from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to declare the polls in Sindh null and void. He asked the ECP to hold ‘transparent’ elections in the province.

“If Pir Pagara Sahib permits us, we will not let the newly elected members from Sindh take the oath.

GDA leader Fehmida Mirza said that all political parties of Sindh that are ‘affected’ by rigging in the elections should form alliacne at Sindh level.

“The people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are commendable for devising a joint strategy,” she added.