KARACHI: Responding to the call of the party chairman Imran Khan, PTI workers took to the streets in several cities late on Friday night to protest Punjab Asse­mbly Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari’s ruling that handed Hamza Shehbaz the seat of chief minister Punjab in a run-off vote.

In his address to the nation after the ruling, Mr Khan urged the youth to register “peaceful” protests all over the country to tell the world that they are not goats and sheep.

According to PTI’s official Twitter accounts, protests were organised in eight cities: Liberty Chowk, Lahore; Hashtnagri Chowk Pesha­war; F9 Park, Islamabad; Nursery, Kara­chi; Ghanta Ghar Chowk, Faisalabad; Chungi No 9, Multan; Traffic Chowk, Dera Ghazi Khan and Fawarrah Chowk Bahawalpur.

In addition, according to news reports, people also came out to protest at Mannan Chowk, Quetta; Haider Chowk, Hyderabad; Chowk Yadgar, Shiekhu­pura, Indus Highway, Karak and Sialkot.

Visuals showed people marching in rallies, holding PTI flags and chanting slogans.

In Hyderabad, the situation got tense when PTI workers came face to face with PPP supporters and chanted slogans, Geo News reported.

A heavy contingent of police was deployed to defuse the situation, which successfully managed to disperse the protesters.

Meanwhile, Punjab has requested the federal government to move Rangers in Rawalpindi, Lahore and Multan to maintain law and order in the wake of the political situation in the province.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2022