Imran picks Omar Ayub as PTI candidate for PM's post

Rawalpindi: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Qaiser revealed on Thursday that the party’s founding Chairman, Imran Khan, has picked senior leader Omar Ayub Khan as the candidate for Prime Minister, a media report said.

Addressing the media outside the Adiala jail following his meeting with Imran Khan, former National Assembly Speaker Qaiser said he has been tasked with approaching all the political parties to form the next government, The Express Tribune reported.

Alleging ‘poll rigging’, the PTI leader said that Imran Khan will announce a date for a nationwide protest by Thursday evening.

“Our party’s mandate has been stolen,” he said, The Express Tribune reported.

Replying to a question about political contacts for the formation of government at the Centre, Qaiser said he has been tasked by the party founder to contact political parties, including JUI-F, ANP, Aftab Sherpao and others.

The former Speaker said the February 8 elections were ‘rigged’ to undermine the mandate of the masses given to the PTI.

Omar Ayub, an Independent candidate backed by the PTI, won the election for National Assembly-18 constituency by securing 192,948 votes.

According to the unofficial results issued by the returning officer/Election Commission of Pakistan, his runner-up was Pakistan Muslim League (N) candidate Babar Nawaz Khan, who bagged 112,389 votes. The voter turnout was 49.88 per cent.