Crackdown against PTI amid poll trickery allegations

Several workers, supporters arrested; Khurrum Sher Zaman claims raid on house

RAWALPINDI:

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) once again found itself under the hammer on Sunday after its workers and supporters hit the streets nationwide, accusing the system of electoral trickery and result manipulation in the general elections.

A number of PTI workers, leaders, candidates, voters, and supporters mobilised across various constituencies, alleging tampering with election outcomes to undermine their democratic mandate.

Demonstrations mushroomed across several cities including Lahore, Sialkot, Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Sumundari, Multan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Mansehra, Peshawar, Islamabad, Hyderabad, Karachi, and others.

Provincial administrations responded by deploying substantial police forces in most of these areas where the party announced assemblies to voice their dissent against alleged attempts to undermine the public mandate bestowed upon the nation's most prominent political entity.

In Lahore, a robust police presence, bolstered by prisoner transport vehicles, was observed at Liberty Chowk to deter PTI activists and supporters.

Throughout the day, officials from the police, anti-riot forces, elite units, and the Dolphin Squad convened at Liberty Chowk, instigating crackdowns against PTI demonstrators, voters, and their families gathered to protest alleged electoral manipulations in various National Assembly and provincial assemblies constituencies.

Authorities have also apprehended and detained numerous PTI workers and candidates, including Shehzad Farooq, the PTI candidate from NA-119 who contested against PML-N's Maryum Nawaz, for their involvement in protesting against purported election tampering.

In addition, law enforcement agencies resorted to dispersing PTI protestors in other cities through the use of tear gas and baton charges. Roads leading to returning officers’ (ROs) offices across various cities have also been barricaded by police.

PTI candidate Samira Elahi from Gujrat took to social media to draw attention to the purported house arrest of herself and her sister, Qasira Elahi, by the district administration, citing an excessive police presence.

She decried such treatment towards candidates as incomprehensible, affirming their commitment to counter all perceived conspiracies with the help of Allah Almighty.

Rawalpindi

In Rawalpindi, several PTI supporters were arrested by police after the latter sealed routes leading up to the entrance of the district election commission's office.

A number of police officers were deployed in the area. The closure of the district office also impacted the road leading to the press club, resulting in journalists encountering challenges in gaining access to the press club.

Following the closure of the ECP office, the PTI supporters gathered near Murree Road. The demonstrators expressed support in favour of party's incarcerated founding chairman Imran Khan.

All police stations have been directed to take action against protests taking place within their respective jurisdictions. The decision emphasises strict actions against any gathering or attempt to organise a rally within the jurisdiction of a police station.

In a related development, Rawalpindi Regional Police Officer (RPO) Syed Khurram Ali and City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi Syed Khalid Hamdani took notice of violence against media personnel from a news channel during the protest in the Sadiqabad area.

The police authorities appointed an SP as the inquiry officer and summoned a report within the next 24 hours.

RPO and CPO Rawalpindi acknowledged the severity of the violence against professional journalists, expressing deep concern over the incident.

CPO Rawalpindi assured that stringent departmental measures would be initiated against the responsible official once a thorough investigation into the matter has been conducted.

Karachi

Meanwhile, demonstrations were also held outside the provincial election commission office in Karachi, where protesters raised concerns about alleged rigging and manipulation of election results.

PTI leader Khurrum Sher Zaman, accompanied by fellow leaders, led the protest.

Denouncing the "robbery of public mandate," Khurrum asserted that Karachi was, and still is, PTI's turf.

Alleging the theft of PTI’s mandate, he alleged there were attempts to sow discord between PTI and the police.

“We are peaceful Pakistanis,” the PTI leader asserted while encouraging demonstrators to maintain peace and clarified that PTI had no intention of clashing with law enforcement.

Read Protests against poll ‘rigging’ rock Balochistan

He further declared the party's decision to take the battle to the courts, submitting relevant applications to address their grievances.

Khurrum Sher Zaman announced plans to present Form 45 in court, adding that the PTI has already filed an application in this regard.

In a later statement, he revealed that his residence underwent a raid the previous night.

Condemning what he termed "unjust and intimidatory tactics," Khurrum called on the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Chief of Army Staff (COAS), and Inspector General (IG) Sindh to take notice of the alleged harassment against him and his family.

In a post on 'X', he vehemently expressed his condemnation and urged swift action against the reported incidents.