LAKKI MARWAT/PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf activists demonstrated at three different points in Bannu district on Monday to record their protest against alleged manipulation of the election results.

The protesters gathered on roads connecting Bannu with DI Khan, Miramshah and Kohat, closing them for vehicular traffic.

MNA-elect Maulana Naseem Ali Shah and MPA-elect Malik Pakhtunyar led the protesters on Bannu-DI Khan Road.

Another procession of activists led by former transport minister Malik Shah Mohammad Khan reached Bakkakhel area on Bannu-Miramshah Road.

A good number of protesters led by Malik Yasir Khan, son of former MNA late Malik Nasir Khan, staged a sit-in on Bannu-Kohat Road.

The protesters chanted slogans against the local administration and held it responsible for ‘changes’ in poll results.

The closure of roads caused traffic snarls, adding to the troubles of commuters.

The agitation by PTI workers also disrupted business and educational activities in the southern district.

On the occasion, PTI district general secretary Wahid Khan, Malik Suhran, Malik Yasir Shakil and others alleged the returning officers deliberately changed the results of PK-101 and PK-102 to turn the victory of candidates backed by PTI into defeats.

They said that the poll results had been changed to declare JUI-F aspirants, including former chief minister Akram Durrani, triumphant.

They said that they would continue their peaceful protest until the mandate was returned to them.

The poll contenders backed by PTI had swept the Feb 8 elections on one national and four provincial assembly seats in the district, they claimed, alleging that later relevant election forms were tampered with to change the results.

The speakers said that the authorities involved in violation of election laws and mandate stealing did not deserve any leniency.

Meanwhile, a large number of PTI workers blocked the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway as they continued protesting against the alleged poll rigging for the fourth consecutive day on Monday.

They blocked the motorway near the toll plaza. During their daylong sit-in, the protesters chanted slogans against the officials involved in ‘rigging’.

Motorists and public transporters used alternate routes to reach their destinations in Charsadda, Mardan and Swabi districts.

Grand Trunk Road was used for reaching Islamabad.

MNA-elect Asif Khan and other leaders also participated in the sit-in.

Addressing the protesters, they alleged that returning officers changed results against PTI-backed candidates in eight provincial and one National Assembly constituencies.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2024