Reham on Lodhran by-poll: ‘PTI losing popularity even before coming to power’

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ISLAMABAD Feb 13 (TNS): Reham Khan, former wife of Imran Khan, said on Tuesday that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf faced a heavy defeat in the recent Lodhran by-poll, and it’s the first time a party is losing popularity even before coming in power.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) candidate Iqbal Shah received 113,542 votes, while his competitor, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Ali Tareen, contesting his first election on his father, Jahangir Tareen’s seat, got 85,933 votes in the by-election held on Monday.

Khan in a video message said that she feels sorry for the party workers and its ideological supporters.

“Whenever they are in pressure they start attacking people like me,” she said, “they consider Nawaz Sharif or Maryam Nawaz behind conspiracies against them. Was selection of Ali Jahanghir Tareen a conspiracy by Nawaz or God forbid suggestion by me.”

She said that the voters have rejected PTI as the party has deviated from its vision.

“You (PTI) have given space to dynastic politics. You have taken all the garbage from other party in yours. PTI was attacking status-quo but today has become its cheap copy,” the former journalist said.

Khan alleged that three groups within the party has come in public.

“It has been proven that you can buy leadership from money but not votes,” Khan said.

On February 6, Khan confirmed that she has left the country citing threats to her by unknown individuals. Speaking to a private TV channel, Reham confirmed that she left Pakistan as she was receiving threats through phone calls made to her staff.

Reham also reportedly shared an audio recording, in which the coordinator of Reham Khan Foundation is telling her how he received calls from unknown numbers and was threatened to not coordinate Reham’s interviews and events.

She further said that she has had to discontinue the schooling of her daughter, due to which she is extremely distressed, adding, “None of the political parties is standing by me, nor backing me”.

The anchorperson quoted Reham as saying that it is a battle that she cannot fight while staying in Pakistan.

She, however, had yet to explain if there was some specific issue pertaining to which she had been issued threats, or name any party standing against her. There was also no confirmation if she had filed a complaint with the police in this regard.