A PTI demonstration against alleged rigging in Lower Dir
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday staged countrywide protests against alleged electoral rigging and the release of incarcerated party founder Imran Khan, with the largest demonstrations witnessed in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where the party is in power.
The PTI has alleged that its mandate was “stolen,” accusing lawmakers of the PPP, PMLN and MQM of “imposing” themselves on the public through rigging. The party has also alleged that Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, are innocent and have been incarcerated on concocted charges.
Ahead of and after the rallies on Friday afternoon, the party accused Punjab police of arresting dozens of PTI workers and raiding their houses and offices to discourage them from protesting. However, the party’s rallies still occurred in various part of Punjab, including Lahore and Rawalpindi.
In Faisalabad, per the PTI, police stopped a rally and arrested MNA Changez Khan Kakar, MPA Sheikh Shahid Javed and several party workers. PTI Punjab President Hammad Azhar, in a posting on X—formerly Twitter—alleged police in Lahore had arrested at least 12 workers, including a 12-year-old boy, and slammed the provincial authorities for the action.
In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the party staged protests and sit-ins in various constituencies, with a large number of workers gathering outside the press club in Dera Ismail Khan. Smaller but significant protests were also witnessed in Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi and other cities of the province.
In Karachi, the PTI’s protest was led by PTI Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh, who said the party had received votes in the Feb. 8 elections to secure the release of Khan. He said the protest was aimed at securing Khan’s release and voicing anger at the “mandate theft.”