PTI Protests against Election Commission of Pakistan across Country

Islamabad: PTI activists staged protests outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) offices across the country on Tuesday against its biased attitude.

The protesters were demonstrating against the electoral body’s “biased attitude” towards the PTI. They also demanded the ECP to conclude the foreign funding case filed by the PTI against the PML-N and PPP. Apart from the foreign funding case, the protesters demanded the ECP to unseat the dissident MNAs of the PTI, adding that if the ECP failed to do so, it would be “violating” the Constitution.

Many PTI leaders and AML leader Sheikh Rashid Ahmed addressed the protesters outside the ECP headquarters. Rashid, who was the interior minister during the previous government, said that if the ruling coalition wants the country not to head towards a “civil war”, elections should be held before May 30. “They (coalition government) used to demand elections, why are they running away from it now?” Rashid asked, adding that elections cannot be delayed.

PTI leader Shibli Faraz said that the party was making a “symbolic protest” outside the ECP office. The former science and technology minister also alleged that the government had blocked all roads leading to the ECP headquarters which had obstructed many people from reaching the protest site.

Besides the protest outside the ECP headquarters in Islamabad, rallies were also held outside the electoral body’s provincial headquarters in Quetta, Lahore, Karachi, and Peshawar. Similar protests were also held in other districts.

According to Geo News, the PTI protesters outside the ECP office in Karachi had decided to march towards the Sindh High Court but later returned to the provincial headquarters of the electoral body.

Ahead of the protests, security was tightened outside the ECP offices across the country, especially the Islamabad headquarters. The interior ministry had sent letters to the four chief secretaries, the Islamabad commissioner and inspector-general of police, to provide security to the ECP offices because of the protests. The officials were also told to increase security for the four provincial chief election commissioners.

In Islamabad, barbed wires and containers were placed outside the entrance to the ECP building. A prisoner van was also placed outside the ECP’s headquarters in Islamabad. – The News International

PTI Protests against Election Commission of Pakistan across Country

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