PESHAWAR: Passengers and motorists faced difficulties owing to closure of roads in the provincial metropolis on Wednesday as workers of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf continued to protest alleged rigging of polls.

A large number of PTI workers staged sit-in on different roads as they continued their protest for the sixth consecutive day. Earlier, they had blocked the Charsadda Road for two days and Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway for three days.

On Wednesday, PTI activists staged sit-ins at Phase-III Chowk of Hayatabad, outside Peshawar Press Club and Grand Trunk Road near Pir Zakori Bridge.

Thousands of vehicles and passengers remained stranded owing to blockade of roads for several hours. The district administration and police were seen nowhere as they were avoiding taking on protesters, whose party is poised to return to power in the province.

District admin and police seem reluctant to take on protesters

The protesters chanted slogans against the returning officers and Election Commission of Pakistan for what they called changing the results of eight seats of provincial assembly and one seat of National Assembly.

In Hayatabad, the protesters were led by former minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra and the protests at Pir Zakori Brige and outside Peshawar Press Club were headed by Kamran Bangash. Mr Jhagra and Mr Bangash contested elections from Hayatabad and city areas, respectively.

They alleged that returning officers changed the results against PTI candidates for eight seats of provincial assembly and one of National Assembly including PK-72, PK-73, PK-74, PK-75, PK-78, PK-79, PK-80, PK-82 and NA-20.

They said that they would continue their protest until the decision was taken according to the votes shown in the Form-45. They alleged that the returning officers changed the results and handed over their winning seats to those, who were ranked third and fourth in Form-45.

Peshawarites suffered a lot as almost all roads in the provincial capitals were choked and motorists spent hours on roads. Some of the motorists used alternate routes in the nearby villages to reach their destinations.

Our correspondent from Lakki Marwat adds: The protest by PTI workers and supporters in Bannu entered its sixth day on Wednesday as the agitators continued sit-ins at four different points, blocking busy roads and suspending traffic.

The closure of roads troubled both transporters and commuters. The protest demonstrations also caused closure of educational institutions including colleges and universities in the district.

The protesters allowed only ambulances transporting emergency patients to hospitals to cross the blocked points. Many transporters avoided plying their vehicles on roads to avert any loss or damage. The continuous agitation against the poll results badly impacted routine life and business activities.

Former provincial minister Malik Shah Mohammad and other PTI leaders visited the venues of protests and addressed the charged workers.

They alleged that poll results were changed at the behest of former chief minister Akram Durrani to declare him winner from PK-102 and another aspirant of JUI-F Adnan Khan from PK-101.

“The Form-45 our polling agents received at polling stations and those delivered to returning officers by presiding officers have different votes,” they claimed. They said that the poll results were changed to turn the victory of the candidates backed by PTI into defeat.

They alleged that Form-45 of two provincial assembly constituencies was changed in the offices of returning officers. They said that the mandate of their party was stolen in connivance with their political opponents and they would not tolerate it.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2024