PTI protests outside ECP over ‘stolen mandate'

Express Tribune

03-05-2025

On the call of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, a major protest was held outside the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) office in Peshawar.
Organized by PTI, the demonstration drew a large crowd, including party workers and members of the provincial assembly. In anticipation of the protest, authorities cordoned off the ECP office with barbed wire and deployed a heavy police contingent to maintain order.
Chanting slogans in support of Imran Khan, PTI supporters demanded the immediate release of their party's founder and other detained members.
Addressing the protestors, PTI Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa President Junaid Akbar, Special Assistant to the K-P Department of Population Welfare Malik Liaqat Ali Khan, MNA Atif Khan, and other party leaders alleged that national institutions were undermining the public mandate.
'The power and privileges of institutions exist because of the people; therefore, they must respect the public's vote,' speakers emphasized.
Junaid Akbar said PTI workers stood ready to mobilize at Adiala Jail or D-Chowk whenever Imran Khan gives the call.
He accused institutions of eliminating political space for PTI and unjustly labeling its peaceful workers as terrorists.
'We are here today to bring shame to the shameless,' he declared, branding the ECP as the 'Corruption Commission' and a 'guardian of defectors.'
Condemning PTI's targeting in the foreign funding case, the leaders questioned why financial scrutiny of other political parties remained pending.
They claimed that peaceful protests were taking place nationwide to reclaim what they described as a 'stolen mandate.'
The speakers denounced Imran Khan's imprisonment as unjust and demanded his immediate release, calling him the nation's hope and a symbol of democratic struggle.
They vowed that the fight for democracy, constitutional supremacy, and the rule of law would continue.
They called for legal action against returning officers allegedly involved in widespread rigging during the general elections.
'PTI candidates won by a clear majority, but the ECP, in collusion with others, manipulated the results to ensure their defeat,' they claimed, accusing returning officers of conspiring to alter outcomes deliberately. 'Such blatant rigging would even shame a dictator,' they said.
Criticizing the ECP's role, they accused it of announcing pre-written verdicts and disrespecting the people's vote.
'Those once demanding respect for the vote are now glorifying the boot,' they said. The speakers maintained that if electronic voting machines (EVMs) had been used, rigging would have been exposed within an hour.
They further alleged that the ECP, PML-N, and other institutions worked together to strip PTI of its rightful seats.
'Despite receiving the public's vote, PTI candidates were sidelined due to poor planning and open rigging. The seats were awarded to candidates from other parties,' they claimed.