PTI’s Shoaib Shaheen on Monday said that a message is being conveyed through continuous action against the PTI leaders and workers that the party will not be allowed to contest elections.

“If it continues, the elections will be discredited. However, we will not boycott elections and will field our candidates on every seat,” he told Munizae Jahangir on Spot Light.

On the arrest of Asad Qaiser and Fawad Chaudhry, he said that they were being targeted for not joining a king’s party.

“The FIR against Asad Qaiser says that a complaint was registered against him in 2020 for corruption in the procurement of material for a college in 2016. The FIR was registered in November of 2023 saying that inquiry will be done later,” he added.

Qaiser’s brother was arrested without a warrant for saying that Islamabad police and ISI abducted him for “speaking against institutions,” Shaheen said.

“There are two conditions for forgiveness; the first one is to leave the PTI and then join a king’s party,” he stated.

Failing to fulfill either one of the conditions will result in continuous persecution, Shaheen said.

Shaheen quoted IPP’s Hashim Dogar as saying that Chaudhry has told him that he will not join IPP and will return to PTI.

“I do not know anything as he [Chaudhry] was not in contact with me,” he added.

Read: Fawad Chaudhry sent on two-day remand

PML-N’s Zafarullah Khan said that all previous elections in the country were controversial and the losing parties were always accused of rigging.

“I would never wish for Imran Khan to be disqualified before the election as Nawaz Sharif was disqualified and his nomination was canceled,” he added.

Most of the things about the absence of a level playing field are fairytales, he said, adding: “If the government is doing something wrong I condemn it and demand that everybody’s rights are protected.”

PPP’s Qadir Mandokhail said that PTI was not stopped from campaigning during the recent local government by-election in Sindh.

“However, they could not secure a major win in that election. I do not understand why PTI is not allowed to hold corner meetings in Punjab,” he added.

Mandokhail was of the view that all parties should be allowed to campaign before the polls including the PTI. “I expect in the upcoming general election, PTI workers will be allowed to freely participate in elections.”