Campaign heats up for Pakistan’s July 17 by-elections

ISLAMABAD: The political atmosphere is heating up ahead of the July 17 by-elections for the Punjab Assembly, with arch rivals — the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) — trying hard to win the public support.

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is also Chairman of the PTI, and daughter of the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and vice president of the PML-N Maryam Nawaz are on whirlwind trips addressing rallies and meetings in the constituencies where these by-polls are to be held.

Addressing a public meeting in South Punjab’s District Lodhran, the hometown of his former ally Jahangir Khan Tarin, Imran Khan called upon the people to defeat the “turncoats” and what he called the nexus of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the PML-N by voting for his party candidate in the upcoming by-polls.

He said in his government, corruption cases against former President Asif Zardari, current PM Shehbaz Sharif and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah were in the final stage, but those in power didn’t let them face the music.

Imran khan also made a reference to price hike, inflation that had increased manifold during the PML-N three-month period.

He also drew a comparison of food and energy prices during his government and now, claiming that it was proof that the narrative built against him was baseless. All the PML-N and its allies wanted was to cease power and amend the accountability laws and get an NRO (a legal cover) for their corruption cases.

Imran Khan also addressed a rally in Muzaffargarh, another district in Southern Punjab and repeated his ‘thieves and plunderers’ mantra.

Maryam Nawaz who is also visiting different constituencies in her mass-contact campaign Monday evening addressed a huge public rally in Chichawatni, District Sahiwal and criticized Imran Khan’s ‘anti-masses’ policies calling him a liar and incompetent. Imran Khan she said benefited only his near and dear ones and never thought for the welfare of the people of Punjab.

On the other hand, she said PM Shehbaz Sharif is going to announce a big relief package for the poor very soon as the country’s economy is stabilizing.

The crises Imran Khan put the country in are over and the coalition government under the leadership of Shehbaz Sharif is determined to provide people relief against the rising inflation and the price hike, she said.

Pakistan, she said, was on the brink of bankruptcy when the coalition government took over. “The coalition government took all the tough decisions, which burdened the masses, because of the wrongdoings of Khan in his tenure,” she said, adding that despite rising inflation PML-N did not hide anything, instead they took the nation into confidence.

The by-elections for 20 Punjab Assembly seats are being viewed as a referendum for PTI chairman Imran Khan’s narrative against the government.

For the PTI chairman, it appears to be a do-or-die contest as he continues to describe the electoral bout as a fight between good (his party) and evil (the ruling coalitions in the Centre and Punjab).