Pakistan: Prohibitory Orders Clamped As Imran Khan's Party Stages Protest Over 'Poll Rigging' In Islamabad
In Lahore, Punjab Police took action against party leaders and activists protesting against alleged election rigging, resulting in the arrest of Imran Khan's lawyer.
New Delhi: Authorities in Pakistan capital Islamabad imposed prohibitory orders in the wake of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party launching nationwide protests against alleged electoral fraud, news agency PTI reported.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) expressed dissatisfaction with the general election results, particularly the victory of over 90 National Assembly seats by independent candidates backed by the party and decided to hold "peaceful protests" against what it called "record-high rigging".
The protests started with a march in Wana, located in South Waziristan of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The party has also announced its decision to assume the role of the Opposition in Parliament.
"The PTI has called for country-wide protests against the unprecedented, massive, brazen rigging in general elections 2024, where PTI’s win of 180 National Assembly seats and a two-thirds majority in the parliament, was cut down to half. The 2024 elections would be remembered in the country's history due to the scale of rigging,” party spokesperson Raoof Hasan said in a statement.
Meanwhile, amid the party’s plans for nationwide protests, the Islamabad police implemented Section 144, enforcing a ban on public gatherings, and heightened security measures, Dawn reported. The police have also alerted the people about potential traffic disruptions around F9 park, advising against unnecessary travel in the vicinity. The Counter Terrorism Department has also deployed special forces to handle any potential emergencies, the report stated.
In a bid to deter the party protest, Islamabad police have dug up a trench near the Lahore Press Club and stationed a significant number of police personnel in the area.
In Lahore, Punjab Police took action against party leaders and activists protesting against alleged election rigging, resulting in the arrest of Imran Khan's lawyer Salman Akram Raja and party workers who had assembled on Jail Road to voice their grievances over the alleged electoral irregularities.
Senior Bureaucrat Says Pak CEC, Chief Justice Involved In ‘Poll Rigging’, Steps Down
A senior Pakistani bureaucrat resigned from his post, alleging the involvement of the chief election commissioner and the chief justice in “rigging” the recently-held general elections, PTI reported.
Addressing the media at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, the Former Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha asserted that candidates who were initially “losing” the elections were “manipulated” to emerge victorious.
“I am taking the responsibility for all this wrongdoing and telling you that the chief election commissioner and the chief justice are also completely involved in this,” Dawn quoted Chattha as saying.
“I should be punished for the injustice I have done and others who were involved in this injustice should also be punished,” he added.
The resignation came as the senior bureaucrat took responsibility for the perceived misconduct surrounding the election results.
However, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), refuted the allegations levelled by the official against the chief election commissioner.
“The Election Commission of Pakistan strongly rejects the allegations levelled by the Commissioner Rawalpindi on the chief election commissioner or the election commission and no official of the election commission never issued any instructions regarding changing the election results to the Commissioner Rawalpindi. Neither is the commissioner of any division ever appointed as a District Returning Officer, Returning Officer or Presiding Officer nor do they ever play a direct role in the conduct of elections,” ECP said in a statement.Top of Form
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