PTI’s vents by-poll frustration at media

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday restarted its protest at the Charring Cross against the alleged poll rigging at PP-150 during the by-elections. A large number of party workers and leaders gathered at the site.
Lahore PTI Senior Vice President Shoaib Sidiqui, Hamid Maeraj, Lahore Vice President Jamshaid Iqbal, Yasir Gillani, Mian Iftikhar, Irfan Ahmed, Dr Zarqa Taimor, Ayesha Khalid, Neelam Ashraf, Farukh Javaid Moon, Sh Amir, Mian Javaid, Mian Rashid, Suleman Shoiab, Noshil Badr, Usman Hamza, Yasir Ali Butt, Tariq Javaid Butt and a large number of party workers joined the protest demonstration.
While expressing their gratitude to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) over taking immediate notice of the poll rigging and the party’s protest, the PTI leaders said that this demonstrated the victory of the masses. They were of the view that the ECP would take the right decision and give a verdict in the larger public interest, keeping in view the facts and the ground realities.
Addressing the gathering, the party leaders present said that the PTI’s protest against the poll rigging in general as well as by-elections was not for their own interest but rather for the greater national interest. They said that the PTI wanted rectifications only where rigging took place.
Furthermore, they said that if the mistakes were not rectified the next election would be contested with the masses on the roads.
PTI leaders said that their party had submitted an application demanding recounting in four constituencies to avoid poll rigging in the future but these pleas had continuously been ignored, adding that even after the victory of PTI’s Maher Wajid Azeem in PP-150’s by-polls where he won the election by 2,000 votes, the election’s results had been changed. The PTI demanded the ECP to punish the personnel involved in rigging as per law, they added.
During Monday’s protest, when the police asked the PTI leaders to abide by the LHC’s orders of refraining from holding protests at the Mall, they camped some meters behind to the Queens Road.
During the protest, things took an ugly turn when the PTI workers got involved in a violent clash within themselves. The situation arose when several press reporters covering the protest were ambushed and injured by angry protestors.
During the chaotic situation, PTI youth workers attacked several media personnel including photographers and reporters many of whom sustained injuries.
Pakistan Today Desk Editor M S Ibraheem was also injured when PTI workers tortured him while he was assisting Pakistan Today’s media team. He was, however, rescued by fellow journalists and provided first aid.
Journalist organisations and media unions strongly protested against the bullying by the PTI workers. Lahore Press Club President Arshad Ansari and Secretary Shahbaz Mian immediately reached on the spot and protested against the incident.
Ansari called on Imran Khan to take immediate notice against the PTI workers responsible. He said that democracy allowed everyone to protest but this did not mean for political parties to forget their limits.
PUJ President Rana Azeem also condemned the incident and asked the PTI leaders to take prompt action against the violent demonstrators.
After the incident, when the media boycotted the coverage of PTI’s protest, the PTI leadership assured the media representatives that any PTI member found guilty of torturing media personnel would have his membership cancelled.
It is mentionable that over 70 PTI leaders and workers were baton-charged and arrested by the Punjab Police for protesting on Saturday. However, they were released hours later on the orders of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.