Imran Khan’s party launches agitation against ‘rigging’ in Pakistan polls

ISLAMABAD: Declaring that it would form the government both at the Centre as well as in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces, Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party on Saturday asked the election commission to announce complete results by midnight or face protests in areas where results were still awaited.

However, within hours of issuing this statement, party workers at Peshawar and Karachi embarked on loud protests complete with sloganeering and waving of party flags.

Springing a surprise, independents backed by jailed former prime minister Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party won the lion’s share of 101 seats in the National Assembly in Thursday’s election.

Two days after the polling was held, the results were not yet complete and the country appeared headed to a hung Parliament or a coalition government.

Addressing a press conference, PTI chief Gohar Ali Khan demanded that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announce complete results by midnight or face protests by his supporters in areas where results were still awaited and said, otherwise PTI supporters will stage peaceful protests outside offices of returning officers (ROs).