"A stolen mandate": Shehbaz Sharif's PTI rival for PM calls polling in parliament 'illegal'

Islamabad [Pakistan], March 3 (ANI): After Shehbaz Sharif was picked as the country's next Prime Minister by the majority members during polling in the National Assembly, winning PTI-backed Independent candidate and a rival for the top post, Omar Ayub Khan, came down heavily on the ruling coalition on Sunday, calling the former's selection as the country's top leader as 'illegal', The Express Tribune reported.
According to the report, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) leader called the ruling coalition as a "fascist regime focused solely on looting Pakistan's resources without any ideology".
Earlier, on Sunday, the National Assembly elected Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader as the country's 24th PM.
Addressing the Assembly, the PTI leader raised grievances over what he descibed as 'unfair electoral practices'.
"We did not get the seats that we should've gotten, so the election of the speaker, deputy speaker, and prime minister has become illegal", he was quoted as saying by the Pakistan daily.
Also hitting out at a section of the media over its coverage of the elections and the sequence of events thereafter, Khan said, "When PM-elect Shehbaz Sharif was speaking, the camera was on him, adding that his speech should also be covered live."
"I want to tell the people of Pakistan that the people of the PML-N and other parties sitting here appear to be defeated; their faces indicate that they have been given a stolen mandate. When a thief is fleeing after stealing, there is fear on his face," the PTI leader added.
On the protests by the PTI, alleging foul play in the February 8 elections, he claimed 'cases'were filed against 80 members of his party in Lahore, The Express Tribune reported.
Also contesting the claim of the ruling coalition with reference to the elections, he added, "You (ruling coalition) have snatched our electoral symbol from us, you have snatched the result of Form 45, but we stood, we are standing, and we will stand until Imran Khan takes the oath of prime minister."
Invoking the May 9 violence following the arrest of party founder and former PM Imran Khan, the PTI leader demanded accountability for the riots and called for a judicial inquiry into the incidents while urging that the 'video footage' of events be released to 'uncover the truth'.
Shehbaz is set to take oath on Monday as Pakistan's 24th Prime Minister, ARY News reported, citing sources.
President Arif Alvi will administer the oath to the PM-designate in a ceremony at the President's House at 3 pm on Monday, the report stated quoting sources. (ANI)