ANP stages protest outside KP Assembly

PESHAWAR: Awami National Party (ANP) on Wednesday staged a protest outside the KP Assembly and demanded the chief justice of Pakistan to constitute a judicial commission to investigate the alleged rigging in the recent general election.

Holding banners and placards, the protesters reached the Assembly Chowk after marching through various roads. The banners and placards were inscribed with slogans against alleged poll rigging and interference of some state institutions in the electoral process and in support of democracy.

A heavy contingent of police had been deployed outside the KP Assembly and the venue for the protest which was the Suray Pull railway overpass. Aimal Wali Khan, Mian Iftikhar Hussain and Sardar Hussain Babak spoke to the protesters who were wearing the party’s red colour caps.

ANP provincial president Aimal Wali Khan demanded the chief justice of Pakistan to constitute a judicial commission to investigate the alleged rigging in the recent general election.

He said he hoped the chief justice of Pakistan would pay heed to the millions of Pakistanis who were protesting against what he said was the theft of their mandate. The ANP leader alleged that different roads and passages were closed to stop the protest whose call had been given by him to voice anger at the alleged rigging. “But our struggle cannot be suppressed,” Aimal Wali.

He was critical of the lawlessness in KP and referred to the loss of lives of the cops in the province, especially the martyrdom of a senior police officer in Mardan and two other cops in Peshawar.

The ANP leader alleged that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government with other officials facilitated the return of the terrorists in KP. “The same terrorists have now started taking the lives of our brave personnel of the police force,” he added.

Aimal Wali said it was strange that those who were involved in the May 9 violence and had attacked and torched state properties had now taken the oath of the provincial assembly. “The state must tell us who was behind the burning of the Radio Pakistan Peshawar building,” he asked. He announced that the ANP would hold the next protest against the alleged poll rigging at the Nishat Chowk in Swat on March 8.

The ANP secretary general Mian Iftikhar Hussain alleged the recent general elections were rigged. “The ANP candidates ended as runners-up in over 25 constituencies. “These seats would go the ANP if a fair investigation was carried out,” he went on to add.

Mian Iftikhar lamented the KP Assembly was turned into a fish market today. “All those who would speak for the rights of the people and this province were kept out of the legislature,” he said and added that the ANP mandate was stolen and given to the PTI. He said the ANP would not remain silent this time. “We will keep on protesting till a transparent probe into the election rigging was conducted,” he declared.