Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid on Friday said the PML-N had entered a blind alley and Maryam Nawaz’s recent statement about talks was because they could feel an imminent defeat in Gilgit-Baltistan elections.

He was talking to media persons after meeting PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi at his residence in Lahore as he inquired after the health of seasoned politician Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.

Sheikh said Maryam’s interview had strengthened Prime Minister Imran Khan who would stay in power to complete the five-year tenure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjIbG2YdgHo

He described former president Asif Ali Zardari as the “sixth fleet” who firmly believed in the politics of reconciliation. The PPP had played better, the minister opined.

The Chaudhry brothers would always vote for Imran Khan, Sheikh Rashid said and added that Nawaz Sharif could not do anything in the presence of Chaudhry Shujaat.

About the election results in Gilgit-Baltistan, he again predicted that the PTI would emerge as a winner followed by the PPP and the independents. There would be a shock for the PML-N, Sheikh remarked.

Earlier in the day, PML-N Spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb on Friday said issuance of more than 1,000 fake postal ballots was another proof of rigging. “If the vote is stolen in Gilgit-Baltistan on November 15 then it would have very alarming consequences,” she warned.

Commenting on a report aired by 24NewsHD TV channel, the PML-N leader said, “Another result of vote theft has arrived from the constituency [number] Diamer II.”

https://twitter.com/Marriyum_A/status/1327137339844534275 

“The number of government officials is 700 but 1,791 postal ballots had been issued. It is called rigging, it is called vote theft,” she remarked.

Similarly, Maryam said that it was getting embossing with each passing moment.

https://twitter.com/MaryamNSharif/status/1326964871259443202

Commenting on the situation, Ahsan Iqbal – the party’s secretary-general – remarked whether the recent election survey was prepared according to the manufactured results or preparation were under way to formulate results as per the survey.  

https://twitter.com/betterpakistan/status/1326954357867356162 

The statement came after a controversial survey was shared in media that Prime Minister Imran Khan was the most popular leader in the region with his party to beg 27 percent of votes.

Interestingly, the survey claimed that the PML-N and Maryam was way behind with three to four percent votes.