PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur on Sunday urged Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa to order formation of a judicial commission to probe cipher case for exposing elements involved in hatching conspiracy against the previous government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

He was addressing a rally staged by PTI against what it called ‘the theft of mandate’ in the February 8 general elections. The protesters also demanded release of their incarcerated leader and former prime minister Imran Khan.

The participants of the rally demanded stern action against the bureaucrats, who served as district returning officers (DROs) and returning officers (ROs) in the general elections. They also sought action against police for ‘illegally’ arresting PTI workers and leaders during elections.

The charged workers of PTI chanted slogans against the DROs and ROs.

Protesting PTI workers demand immediate release of Imran

Chief Minister Gandapur said that Imran Khan was imprisoned illegally as whatever he had taken gifts from Toshakhana legally. He alleged that President Asif Ali Zardari and Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz had taken gifts from Toshakhana illegally.

He demanded immediate release of Imran Khan. He said that all efforts were made to eliminate PTI from political landscape but the party reemerged more forcefully with the support of people. “Authorities illegally put Imran Khan behind bars, snatched our party’s symbol, did not allow us to conduct election campaign and arrested our workers and leaders but people did not lose courage and voted for PTI with overwhelming majority,” he added.

The chief minister demanded of Election Commission of Pakistan to announce the results of general elections as per vote count mentioned in Form-45 and return mandate to the winning party. “Pakistan has never seen such rigged elections in its history,” he alleged.

He said that chief election commissioner should be tried under Article 6 for violating Constitution repeatedly as he did not hold elections on time, rigged the polls and depriving PTI of reserved seats.

Speaking on the occasion, Senator Faisal Javed said that the entire nation was demanding immediate release of Imran Khan. “Today I am attending the first public rally of my political career without Imran Khan. So far I have attended more than 2,000 rallies that were addressed by my leader Imran Khan,” he added.

He said that PTI won elections with two-third majority but the returning officers snatched the historic victory from it.

PTI leaders and MNAs Sher Ali Arbab, Asif Khan and Shandana Gulzar and provincial ministers including Meena Khan Afridi also addressed the rally.

PTI workers from different parts of Peshawar and adjacent districts including Charsadda, Nowshera and Khyber attended the rally.

In Shangla, PTI workers blocked Karakoram Highway on Sunday against alleged rigging in the general elections.

They also demanded judicial inquiry into the killing of two PTI workers on February 9. They alleged that district administration and police were responsible for the tragedy. Twelve workers were also injured in the incident.

PTI Bisham tehsil chairman Sadeedur Rehman, Alpuri chairman Waqar Ahmad Khan, Gul Hamrooz, Ikram Shah, Habibur Rehman, Islamzada, Ajmal Khan, Raja Sharafat Khan and others addressed the rally in Bisham.

They alleged that district administration and ECP changed Form-45 as in the original forms PTI-backed candidate for National Assembly Saeed Fareen had won the seat with 11,000 lead.

“Our two innocent activists were killed on the orders of Amir Muqam and establishment. I was detained illegally on the night of February 8 when I asked the DRO to not change the results,” said Sadeedur Rehman.

He claimed their candidates had also won PK-30 and PK-28 but law enforcement agencies and DRO snatched the two seats of provincial assembly from them. He said that their party workers had great expectations from courts. “We believe that courts will return the seats to actual winners,” he added.

Waqar Ahmad Khan alleged that police were responsible for the murder of two PTI workers as they opened indiscriminate firing on peaceful protesters in Alpuri.

He wondered as to why the district police officer was transferred from Shangla without inquiry of the case.

Karakoram Highway remained blocked for four hours. Heavy contingents of police were deployed at the venue of protest rally.

A rally was also held in tehsil headquarters Puran. PTI leaders, Puran tehsil chairman Abdul Maula, Rahmanullah and others addressed the rally. They demanded of the provincial government to order judicial inquiry into the February 9 tragedy in Shngla and provide justice to the families of both slain PTI workers Mohsin and Hassan.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2024