KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Sunday said that he still stood by his claim that the 2013 general elections were massively rigged through carrying out “35 punctures”.

Talking to newsmen at Karachi Airport, Imran Khan said real rigging took place in Punjab, adding that he had full trust in the judicial commission probing the alleged rigging and that he would accept its verdict.

The PTI chief said that their counsel Hafeez Pirzada also told the inquiry commission that as many as “70 punctures” were carried out instead of 35. He claimed that PTI had successfully proven that rigging took place in Punjab through Returning Officers (ROs).

He said it was for the first time in the history of the country that the allegations of vote rigging in general elections were being looked into by a Judicial Commission “whose verdict could be surprising”.

“There’s no record of as many as 25 million votes,” he claimed.

Agha Murtaza Poya still stood by his “35 punctures” claim, Khan claimed, referring to rigging allegations he levelled against former caretaker chief minister of Punjab Najam Sethi.

Talking about a BBC report about Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Khan said that the British media did not say things without solid foundations, adding that MQM should initiate a legal action against it.

Imran Khan said Pakistan People’s Party Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari had landed himself in troubled waters after making an anti-army speech.

“Zardari delivered the anti-army speech in the backdrop of charter of democracy (CoD), but Nawaz Sharif backtracked,” he added.

Imran Khan also accused Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of orchestrating Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s recent outburst against military.

“Nawaz Sharif used Zardari to issue a statement against the Pakistan army,” Imran alleged.

Criticizing the Sindh government, he said that the purpose of his visit to Karachi is to materialize work on Shaukat Khanam Memorial Hospital in the city. “Land has been allotted for the construction of the hospital,” he said.—NNI