Supporters of Khan’s party clash with police over alleged election rigging
Supporters of Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party have clashed with police in various cities across the country as they staged protests against alleged rigging in the general elections held on February 8.
In Lahore, supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI) gathered outside the Lahore Press Club and the party's Jail Road office on Saturday to register their protest, the Dawn newspaper reported on Sunday.
The protesters chanted slogans, demanding the restoration of their “stolen mandate”. They called for rectified results based on the vote count as per Form 45, prepared at polling stations under the watch of political parties' polling agents.
Pti-backed candidate for NA128, Salman Akram Raja, was arrested and taken to Racecourse Police Station. He was later released, the report said.
In many cities of Punjab, police arrived at the protest site even before the demonstrators had gathered and arrested several party leaders, candidates, workers and supporters. They dragged elderly men and women. PTI workers and supporters, who had gathered on the call of party founder Imran Khan, chanted slogans and demanded the restoration of their “stolen” mandate, the Dawn report said.
In Karachi, hundreds of PTI workers and supporters gathered outside the Election Commission of Pakistan's Sindh office in the city's Saddar area. The protesters chanted slogans against the alleged rigging and demanded the judiciary and state institutions to intervene and fix the “flaws” in the results.
The charged crowd, including women and children, carried party flags and danced to the tunes of party songs.