According to Dawn, Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party announced on Saturday that its “peaceful protestors” had been arrested for holding demonstrations against alleged cheating in the February 8 general elections.
Workers from former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s PTI, including members of the Insaf attorneys Forum, gathered outside the Lahore High Court and at GPO Chowk, where attorneys joined them.
The PTI uploaded a video on social media platform X that showed a large police presence in the neighborhood, with officers forcing a man to get out of his car and transporting him to a police van to be detained.
The PTI party said that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was “frightened of peaceful protests and that she has deployed a large number of police officers to stop our protests.”
Meanwhile, the party said that it will stage rallies in three dozen locations against alleged rigging in the February 8 elections, according to Dawn.
Another post uploaded by the PTI on X stated that candidates supported by the party would hold rallies in their respective constituencies.
The PTI plans to organize “peaceful protests” at the Karachi and Hyderabad press clubs, among other locations.
Previously, it stated that more political parties would join them.
Pakistan held its 12th national general election on February 8, amidst claims of rigging and the suspension of cellphone and internet connectivity. The PTI topped the election results, fielding the most successful candidates in the February 8 general elections. However, the party claims that the polls were rigged.
According to Geo News, the PTI has stated that the polls were “not free and fair” and intends to hold peaceful rallies around the country over the alleged manipulation.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the second and third largest parties in the elections, have resolved to form the government in the Centre, Punjab, and Balochistan.
