Bilawal’s Crocodile Tears Cannot hide Feb 8 Mandate Theft: PTI

Sheikh Waqas Calls For Immediate Release of Imran Khan, Other Political Prisoners 

Staff Report 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram has said that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's claims about electoral rigging in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) are nothing more than crocodile tears, as what the party described both the PPP and PML-N are direct beneficiaries of the February 8 mandate theft.

PTI CIS, in a statement issued by PTI Central Media Department on Monday,  said that it was astonishing that those who came to power through systematic electoral manipulation and the robbery of the public mandate are now attempting to portray themselves as victims. "The PPP and PML-N are two sides of the same coin. Their occasional public disagreements are nothing more than political theatre designed to deceive the people, while both continue to protect the same status quo that was imposed on the nation after February 8," he said.

Waqas Akram maintained that the Pakistani people have not forgotten how the country's electoral process was manipulated to deny PTI its overwhelming public mandate. He added that no amount of political drama or blame-shifting could erase what millions of Pakistanis witnessed before, during, and after the elections.

Referring to the recent violence surrounding AJK elections, he said that reports of clashes, intimidation, restrictions on communication, and allegations of electoral irregularities have once again exposed the government's inability to ensure a transparent democratic process. He stressed that democracy cannot flourish where the will of the people is suppressed through coercion and manipulation.

He reiterated PTI's demand for the immediate release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi, and all political prisoners, stating that their continued detention undermines democratic values, national reconciliation, and political stability. He added that genuine political dialogue can only begin when politically motivated prosecutions and detentions come to an end.

PTI CIS also urged the federal government to abandon its culture of extravagance and drastically reduce the luxurious lifestyles, unnecessary privileges, and excessive expenditures enjoyed by the imposed ruling elite. He said public resources should instead be redirected toward the welfare of ordinary Pakistanis.

He demanded the immediate release of development funds for Pakistan's most neglected and underdeveloped regions, particularly Balochistan and the merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, arguing that sustainable peace cannot be achieved without economic opportunity, quality education, modern healthcare, infrastructure development, and employment for youth.

"The future of Pakistan lies not in political engineering but in strengthening democratic institutions, ensuring transparent elections, restoring the people's mandate, defeating terrorism through professional security policies, and investing in the country's neglected regions," Waqas added. "Only then can Pakistan move toward lasting stability, prosperity, and national unity," he concluded.