PTI leader calls for street protests against 'rigged' elections
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Addressing the media in Islamabad, the former National Assembly Speaker has highlighted that the PTI aims to bring together various political entities to initiate a campaign against "rigged" elections.
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PTI candidate Asad Qaiser speaking at a news conference (AP)
Asad Qaiser, a prominent leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), declared on Tuesday that his party intends to stage street protests in response to what they perceive as the illegitimate appropriation of their electoral mandate during the general elections held on February 8, as reported by ARY News.
Addressing the media in Islamabad, former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser stated that the PTI aims to bring together various political entities to initiate a campaign against what they describe as "rigged" elections.
“Our peaceful movement will be launched in all four provinces,” he said.
“We will not back down as our war is not for our politics but for the nation,” Qaiser added.
Expressing regret, the legislator bemoaned the alleged misappropriation of "180 seats" from the Ittehad Council (SIC), which currently houses lawmakers supported by the PTI.
“180 seats elected seats and reserved seats for women were taken from SIC. A fake prime minister is sitting on the seat right now,” he highlighted.
Qaiser expressed his apprehension about the country's survival, stating, "I am concerned about the future of this nation," and called for the establishment of a judicial commission to investigate the events of May 9.
In the meantime, the PTI has issued a call for nationwide demonstrations on March 10 (Sunday) to protest against the purported electoral irregularities in the general elections held on February 8.
PTI leader Hammad Azhar said in a post on X, “There will be a peaceful but strong protest on Sunday.”
It is important to note that several political parties, including PTI, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), refused to accept the outcome of the general elections, claiming that they were marred by electoral manipulation.
Anti-PTI parties reached an agreement on a coalition
A coalition comprising the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) reached an agreement to establish the next government of Pakistan, effectively sidelining the party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, Tahreek-e-Insaf, despite its victory in the national election.
During a press conference held in Islamabad, it was confirmed that the rival parties, along with two smaller coalition partners, have agreed to form a united government, allegedly to steer Pakistan out of its current challenges. The President of PML-N, Shehbaz Sharif, was announced as their sole nominee for the position of prime minister.
The election of Shehbaz Sharif, the president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, last Sunday was preceded by a parliamentary election that many deemed to be fraudulent, rigged, and unfair.
Leading up to the polling day, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) faced a crackdown that limited canvassing and compelled candidates to stand as independents. The party's campaign primarily shifted to the online realm, where social media activities were subjected to censorship through various nationwide blackouts affecting X, as well as platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.
In the wake of the election, Pakistan witnessed a revelation after senior bureaucrat Liaqat Ali Chattha confessed that he helped rig the country's elections. The commissioner of the city of Rawalpindi, which was won over by the PML-N, announced that he would surrender himself to the police.
Chattha, before resigning from his position, said he supervised the rigging of votes and "converted the losers into winners, reversing margins of 70,000 votes in 13 national assembly seats."
"For committing such a heinous crime, I will hand myself over to the police," he relayed to reporters.
