Country can’t progress until sanctity of vote established, says Sharif

LAHORE: Deploring his ouster once more, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday said there is a dire need to establish the sanctity of vote in the country.

Talking to media here, he vowed to continue his campaign for respect of the vote.

Referring to Lodhran by-election results, Sharif said the masses have announced their verdict in favour of ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

He said the masses have rejected the politics of agitation and lies.

“Who had believed PML-N would emerge triumphant from Lodhran in the by-election,”he said.

He reiterated that he was merely disqualified for not taking salary from his son’s UAE-based company.

The PML-N supremo said the country couldn’t progress if the public mandate insulted again and again.

Earlier, Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) suffered a setback after PML-N candidate Iqbal Shah Qureshi won the by-poll for the constituency NA-154 Lodhran on Monday, according to unofficial results.

Qureshi attained 113,542 votes while his competitor PTI’s Ali Tareen received 85,933 votes.

The seat fell vacant after Ali Tareen’s father Jahangir Tareen was disqualified by Supreme Court under Article 62(1)(f).