The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced nationwide protests while condemning Sunday’s by-elections held across the country, branding them as fraudulent.
In a joint press conference held on Monday at the PTI Central Secretariat, PTI Secretary General and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan, alongside Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza, vehemently criticised the integrity of Sunday’s elections and announced plans for protests slated for Friday, April 26.
Ayub demanded public apologies from the heads of all intelligence agencies in Pakistan for their alleged interference in electoral and judicial matters. Citing evidence from six judges and a letter from the Bajaur returning officer, Ayub asserted that such incidents warranted formal apologies from the intelligence chiefs.
Present at the press briefing, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan accused the Punjab government and Punjab Police of complicity in election rigging. He alleged that the Punjab government deployed police forces to expel PTI/SIC polling agents from polling stations and accused the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) of failing to ensure fair elections.
Gohar recounted an incident at a polling station where a PTI candidate’s father discovered votes had been cast before polling officially began, citing it as a clear instance of democratic norms and the rule of law being compromised.
