ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The 11-party opposition alliance staged a protest outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in Islamabad against the rigging allegedly having been carried out in general elections held on July 25.
The decision to hold a protest against the alleged rigging was taken when leaders of Opposition Parties met at an All-Party Conference (APC) in Islamabad last Friday.
The opposition alliance named as “Pakistan Alliance for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFE)” included all mainstream political parties including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) Awami National Party (ANP) and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), but besides those having decided to join the yet-to-be-formed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led federal government.
However, neither the PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif nor the the PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and the Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari participated in the protest demonstration.
The Islamabad police had devised the security plan, and as per sources, 500 police personnel were deployed outside the ECP building.
Earlier sources said that only members of the Parliament would be allowed to get into the ECP while common workers would not be allowed to enter the Election Commission.
