Pakistan: PTI workers stage protests against 'biased conduct' of Chief Election Commissioner

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) workers staged protests in several cities on Tuesday against the alleged biased conduct of Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, Pakistan media reported.

Police were deployed outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) office in Karachi ahead of the protest and three mobile vans were also present at the site as part of security arrangements. The demonstrations were held in Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Gujrat and Faisalabad, among other cities, Dawn reported.

The report further stated, that PTI lawmakers from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, including Zahir Shah and Abdul Salam, who were among the protesters, raised slogans against the CEC, calling him biased.

They questioned why only the PTI's funding was being investigated while other parties were not facing similar probes. The protest in Peshawar, however, ended around 1 pm.

Meanwhile, in Islamabad, former interior minister Sheikh Rashid and PTI leader Shibli Faraz spoke to the media during the protest out of the ECP office. Making an allusion to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his entourage, who will be leaving for his first foreign trip as the country's premier this week, Rashid added: "Robbers, looters and thugs are going to Saudi Arabia. They got their names removed from the exit control list (ECL)."

Dawn also reported that the main PTI rally was barred from reaching the ECP office in Islamabad and was stopped at Nadra Chowk, while the Red Zone had been sealed with containers. Police were deployed outside the ECP office, while the protesters shouted slogans such as "Pakistan army zindabad" and demanded CEC Raja's resignation.

PTI Senator Ejaz Chaudhary called out the ECP for "delaying proceedings on references against dissident PTI lawmakers" and alleged that the PTI was being "targeted in the foreign funding case," announcing that Imran was reaching Lahore tomorrow and would address party workers there. He said the PTI wanted fair elections, where votes were not bought and sold, Dawn quoted, citing sources.

Earlier, PTI workers also held flags of Pakistan, during the demonstrations, accompanied by shouting slogans against the ouster of the ex-Prime and PTI chairman Imran Khan.

Following the ouster of Imran Khan, on April 10, through a no-confidence vote, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) took out protests in several cities of Pakistan chanting slogans in the former Prime Minister's favour.

( With inputs from ANI )