lahore
The Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) has finalised arrangements for staging sit-ins in 300 cities against the elections.
A senior worker of the PAT said that the sit-ins were the part of their peaceful protest against the elections which would result ‘a corrupt government.’ He said all arrangements had been completed and protesters would stage sit-ins from 8 am to 5 pm.
He said that PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri would address the protesters at 2 pm via a video link at 300 places simultaneously. He said that necessary gadgetry would be installed at sit-in places where men and women would sit separately.
Sit-ins would be staged in 300 cities including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Gujrat, Bahawalpur and Jhang.
It is first time in the history of Pakistan that any organisation is staging sit-ins on the polling day against elections.
The PAT is also staging sit-ins in 90 countries where it has its network. The members of the Minhajul Quran will stage demonstration outside Minhajul Quran centres.
He said that PAT was not only boycotting the election but the entire process. “Even PAT and its sister organisation Minhajul Quran’s members have been asked not to vote for any candidate. If any member is found involved in election campaign, his/her basic membership will be cancelled”, he added.
The PAT leadership had decided not to contest election after its demands regarding scrutiny of the election candidates were not accepted. The party did not have any success in electoral politics and only its chief Tahirul Qadri could reach parliament in 2002 elections.