Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari has said that PTI is finding it hard to field candidates for the upcoming by-elections. Reacting to a statement by Aleema Khan in the provincial capital, Bokhari said PTI’s founder had no choice but to back out of the by-polls after facing repeated defeats. She pointed out that PTI had already lost two by-elections in Punjab by a wide margin, while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has more than a dozen hopefuls in every constituency.

According to Bokhari, the people of Punjab have rejected the “politics of hate” and anti-state rhetoric of PTI’s founder. “His so-called champions went all the way to America in search of ‘real freedom,’ but had to return to London empty-handed,” she remarked. She further said PTI’s founder had now turned his slogan of “real freedom” into “please forgive me.”

Highlighting the PML-N’s recent momentum, Bukhari said, “Wherever you look in Punjab, the lion symbol is being seen as the sign of victory.” She added that one year of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s performance had taken the party’s popularity to new heights, making PML-N the first choice of voters across the province.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)