ISLAMABAD: Thousands of opposition supporters held a rally here yesterday protesting against alleged rigging in last year’s general election, amid simmering tensions between the government and army.
The demonstration was led by cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan as well as charismatic preacher Tahir ul Qadri, who held an anti-corruption march last year prior to the May 2013 election that saw the country’s first democratic handover of power.
Critics have accused the protest leaders of undermining the civilian government led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at a time when relations with the all-powerful army, which has ruled the country for half of its history, are at a low.
An estimated crowd of 25,000 came from around the country, particularly the northwestern province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa which Khan’s party governs as well as from the populous Punjab province to demonstrate in front of parliament.
Addressing the protestors, Khan lashed out at the government for its alleged role in rigging the 2013 parliamentary elections, disputing the outcome in four constituencies. He also called for the election commission to resign, and railed against power shortages and inflation.
Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Noon swept to power last year with 190 of the parliament’s 342 seats, while the Pakistan Peoples Party came second with 45 seats. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek Insaaf trailed in third with 34 seats and the four contested constituencies would not have affected the overall election result.
“We demand the election commission to immediately resign because the nation has no confidence in them,” Khan said.
“The government has accused me of attempting to derail democracy, but how can it claim of democracy with a fake mandate?” he added, to roars of approval and applause. Supporters meanwhile waved flags and chanted “Who will save Pakistan? Imran Khan, Imran Khan!” amid a charged atmosphere.
Both Khan and Qadri have backed the military in its push to shut down Geo News after it aired allegations accusing Pakistan’s main spy agency of attempting to assassinate a leading journalist.
AFP
