LAHORE: Scores of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) workers, led by provincial and city leaders, gathered in front of the provincial election commission office on Tuesday, carrying placards demanding resignation of the chief election commissioner (CEC).

Former prime minister and PTI chairman Imran Khan gave a call for protest and three former provincial ministers – Yasmin Rashid, Mian Mahmoodur Rashid and Yasser Humayun – addressed the small but spirited protest.

They were also joined by former special assistant Jamshaid Iqbal Cheema, his wife Mussarat Cheema and city president Imtiaz Sheikh.

Yasmin Rashid advised the commissioner to immediately de-seat “turncoats”, who sold their souls, saying reference for their disqualification is already with your office and needs to be decided upon quickly.

Mr Rashid threatened that “unless the election commissioner mends its way, becomes completely neutral or tenders resignation and quickly decides the case of disqualification, all his offices throughout Pakistan would face daily protests”.

Senator Ijaz Chaudhry was of the view that the election commission was targeting the PTI in the so-called foreign funding case. The PTI wants transparent elections but is also sure that with the incumbent election commissioner in charge, fair elections were not possible. He robbed the PTI of the Daska seat and could do the same on a bigger scale in the next elections. During the senate elections, votes were up for sale and purchase, and he did nothing.

The workers gathered at the election commission office at around noon and protested for the next 90 minutes.

BAHAWALPUR: A large number of PTI workers and office-bearers staged a demonstration in front of the office of the district election commission in Model Town.

The demonstrators, led by office-bearers Adeel, Shehla Ehsan and others, demonstrated for hours with placards against the CEC and raised slogans against him.

OKARA: Party activists, led by general secretary Chaudhry Saleem Sadiq, along with Rao Hasan Sikander, Rao Muhammad Ashraf, and Mahr Javid Iqbal along with hundreds of workers took out a peaceful rally from MA Jinnah Road to the district election office (DEO) at Jawad Avenue.

Party leaders vowed to stand by Imran Khan.

TOBA TEK SINGH: Scores of activists of the party staged on Tuesday protest demonstrations in Faisalabad and Toba Tek Singh in front of district election offices.

They chanted slogans against the CEC.

Protesters were addressed by MPA Saeed Ahmad Saeedi, district PTI president Dr Waheed Akbar and former district nazim Muhammad Ashfaq. They demanded that the CEC resign as he was partial and was victimising the PTI.

VEHARI: PTI workers and activists staged a protest demonstration in front of the DEO, which was led by PTI MNA Tahir Iqbal and other local leaders.

SAHIWAL: Around three dozen supporters and office bearers of the PTI staged a protest camp at the Regional Election Commission of Pakistan office on Arifwala Road.

They installed a makeshift camp and remained there for three hours.

The camp was attended by Rai Hasan Nawaz, Shakeel Khan Niazi and Rana Aftab.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2022