PML-N leader and Adviser to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah claimed on Tuesday that several opposition members had contacted him offering to vote for him in the ongoing Senate by-election, a revelation he used to assert that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s decision to boycott the poll stems from a fundamental distrust of its own lawmakers. Speaking to the media outside the Punjab Assembly, Sanaullah described the PTI’s attitude as “undemocratic and unpolitical,” accusing the party’s founder and followers of seeking nothing but “chaos, discord, and unrest.”
Sanaullah revealed that between 10 to 12 PTI members had reached out to him pledging their support. However, he claimed he advised them to instead vote for their own party’s candidate. He used this to suggest that the PTI’s boycott is a tactic to hide its internal fractures and lack of discipline, stating that the party has “no option left except to escape” from the political process.
The PM’s adviser launched a sharp criticism of the PTI’s political strategy, accusing it of formally institutionalizing a “culture of abuse.” He claimed the PTI founder was perhaps the first leader in history to adopt the disrespectful culture of “‘oye, tu oye’ as policy” and forced members to label opponents as “thieves.” Sanaullah contrasted this, stating that the government remains ready for political dialogue, citing the Prime Minister’s own outreach to the opposition.
Sanaullah concluded by defending the necessity of consensus, noting that during recent external threats, the country’s successful response was only possible due to unprecedented unity between political and military leadership—a consensus he implied the PTI founder was unwilling to join. He also condemned a recent incident involving PTI’s Aleema Khan, reiterating his grievance that the PTI has made misconduct a formal policy, while maintaining that its jailed founder is receiving all his due rights. The Senate seat in question was left vacant after the disqualification of PTI’s Ejaz Chaudhry.
