Islamabad: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Saturday claimed that President Arif Alvi would invite his party to form the government as they had secured a majority in the National Assembly, according to a media report.
To form a government, a party must win 133 seats out of 265 in the National Assembly. Election to one seat was postponed after the death of a candidate.
Overall, 169 seats are needed to secure a simple majority out of its total 336 seats, which include the reserved slots for women and minorities.
President Alvi would invite the PTI to form the government as they had got a majority in the National Assembly, Gohar Khan claimed.
He claimed that the PTI had won elections on 170 seats in the National Assembly. However, according to the official results, the party has got 100 seats.
Alvi was a senior member of PTI before Imran Khan made him the country’s President in 2018.
“We have no quarrel with anyone, We want to move forward. We will proceed and form a government in accordance with the Constitution and the law,” Gohar Khan was quoted as saying by Geo News.
Khan, 71, a cricketer-turned-politician and the founding chairman of the PTI, is behind bars and barred from contesting. PTI candidates are running as independents after they were not allowed to use the party symbol – a cricket ‘bat’.
Gohar said the economy would not be able to tolerate the suppression of peoples’ voices and forming a desired government.
“No obstacle should be created for the PTI and results should be announced as soon as possible.
Gohar said their independent candidates were in contact with them. They were loyal to the party and would remain so, he said, adding that they would make their independent government.
He said the PTI would go towards intra-party elections within 15 days after completion of the process. The people had given a big mandate to the PTI, he maintained. He also said all the cases on the PTI founder were fake.
The PTI chairman said they would reach a decision soon regarding the reserved seats as well as what party they should join. He said they would hold peaceful protests in the constituencies where results were stopped.
“The workers are requested that protest is a right, but it should be peaceful,” he said.
He also said his party clinched 39 out of 35 NA seats from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Gohar said they would decide about the chief minister’s post after consultation in two days. He claimed that his party would form a government in Punjab as well.
Votes are still being counted after the general election which was marred by allegations of rigging, sporadic violence and a countrywide mobile phone shutdown.
Meanwhile, Khan, 71, in an AI-generated audio-video message on Saturday claimed victory in the general elections.
He thanked the people for voting for PTI and also asked them to ensure the sanctity of their votes was not hijacked by the establishment.