Opposition parties to hold maiden protest against ‘rigging’ today

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), as well as other opposition parties, will be holding their first protest against the alleged rigging in the July 25 polls, outside the Election Commission of Pakistan headquarters today, but fearing lack of public participation, have no plans of resorting to agitation, reported a private media outlet.

According to reports, PML-N on Tuesday asked its candidates to assemble outside the ECP headquarters in the federal capital at 1 pm “to register their protest against the worst electoral rigging in the history of the country”.

A PML-N senator, while speaking to the media outlet, said the party leadership had asked senior party leaders, including those who contested on PML-N tickets, to gather outside the ECP office while no such instructions had been issued for party workers.

“You can say that this would be a symbolic gesture — to gather outside the ECP and register a protest,” said the PML-N senator, adding that party leaders would address the protest rally demanding resignation of ECP’s senior management.

After the ECP headquarters, the opposition parties, reportedly, have plans to hold protests outside the provincial election commission offices in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta but those would be “token protests” carrying symbolic value.