Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to mark February 8 as "Black Day" to protest against deprivation of mandate

Islamabad [Pakistan], January 17 (ANI): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to mark February 8 as a 'Black Day' in protest against the deprivation of its mandate, Dawn reported.

Pakistan held its 12th national general election on February 8 last year, amid allegations of rigging and the shutdown of cellular and internet services. The PTI dominated the election results, with the highest number of successful candidates in the elections. However, the party has alleged rigging in the polls.

In a statement, PTI's Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram announced that the party has started preparations to mark the first anniversary of the "mother of all poll robberies" as a 'Black Day' which had allowed the "power-greedy" and "self-serving" to illegitimately take hold of the power, making mockery of democracy, according to Dawn report.

Akram said that all Members of National Assembly (MNAs) and Members of Provincial Assembly (MPAs) were asked to make preparations to hold large demonstrations in various parts of Pakistan to send a strong message to the power usurpers that the people of the nation would rest until reclaiming the "stolen" mandate and ensuring constitutions supremacy and rule of law.

He pointed out to the surprising turn of events that on one hand Shehbaz Sharif was nominated as Pakistan's Prime Minister on the very day when the court was set to sentence him and his son in corruption cases, while on the other hand, he facilitated the deal to ensure home-coming of his brother and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, Dawn reported.

On the Al-Qadir Trust case, Sheikh Waqqa Akram said that PTI founder Imran Khan had faced all politically motivated cases in the court and expressed hope that the result of this case would not be different.

Earlier on January 15, Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that no deal has been offered to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) founder Imran Khan, ARY News reported. Asif said on Tuesday that the government could not strike any deals with Imran Khan, emphasizing that decisions will be made by the courts, as per ARY News.

Khawaja Asif remarked that if PTI genuinely sought fruitful dialogue, it must end its "sideshows". He added that the actions witnessed in the National Assembly raised serious questions about PTI's commitment and intentions toward negotiations. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)