ISLAMABAD   -   The activists and supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday staged countrywide protest demonstrations outside the offices of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against the alleged partisan role of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja.

The supporters and workers of the opposition party gathered in front of the offices of ECP in different cities including Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar besides others on the call of former prime minister and PTI chairman Imran Khan.

However, some main party leaders did not join the protest demonstrations saying these were only ‘symbolic’ in nature. PTI also alleged that thousands of the party workers could not participate in the demonstrations as the government has blocked the roads in the name of security.

On the other hand, the government had made special security arrangements around the ECP offices throughout the country while the high security Red Zone of Islamabad, where the main office of the Commission is located, had been sealed by placing containers at its main entry and exit points ahead of the protest. The police and the paramilitary troops had also been deployed in the area around the ECP office.

Last Sunday, the political committee of PTI had decided that the party would hold protest demonstrations in front of ECP offices across the country against the CEC for his alleged biased behaviour.

PTI is alleging that the ECP was using delaying tactics to initiate the process against   its 46 disgruntled lawmakers to de-seat them under Article 63-A of the Constitution.  A day earlier, the ECP had issued notices to the disgruntled PTI MNAs and MPAs for an appearance before it on April 28 and May 6 respectively.

In Islamabad, the workers and supporters of PTI assembled at the famous Covered Market of Sector G-6, from where they left in   form of a rally for the protest in front of the ECP premises. However, the protestors held the demonstration at NADRA Chowk, from where the Red Zone had been sealed by placing shipping containers.

The protestors carrying placards in their hands, inscribed with anti-ECP and anti-government remarks, raised slogans against the CEC and the incumbent government besides demanding that the election commissioner should resign immediately.

Former interior minister and chief of   Awami Muslim League party Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, PTI   Senator Shibili Faraz, former chief whip of PTI in the National Assembly Amir Dogar, and some PTI lawmakers including Andleeb Abbas and Ali Nawaz Awan joined the protest.

Speaking on the occasion, former interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed warned of unrest in the country if early elections were not announced. He said that the sit-in call of PTI chief Khan was well planned to press for his demand of early election. “If the government and entire establishment come together, they cannot stop the early elections.”

Sheikh Rashid further said that if this country has to be “saved from civil war and bloodshed,” then the government would have to announce elections before May 30. Otherwise, former prime minister Khan would give a call of sit-in and the entire nation would join him in Islamabad, he added.

Former federal minister Senator Faraz, while addressing the protestors, criticised the government for placing barricades on roads in the name of security. He claimed that thousands of PTI workers could not participate in the demonstrations due to the closure of roads. He further condemned the Pakistan Muslim-League-Nawaz (PML-N) led coalition government in the centre for removing several names from the Exit Control List (ECL).

Earlier, former information minister and PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry also criticised the government for placing containers and blocking routes leading to the ECP office across the country.

Chaudhry took to twitter to say that the PTI was only staging a “token protest” outside ECP offices across the country and “this foolish government” has closed the entire country including Islamabad by placing containers.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Tuesday turned down the bail pleas of four people including two Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNAs allegedly involved in the Sindh House attack case.

A single bench of IHC comprising Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri conducted hearing of the petitions of PTI MNAs Attaullah Niazi and Faheem Khan and two other PTI workers, Syed Sadaqat Ali Sherazi and Tanveer Ahmed Khan, seeking bail before arrest.

The federal capital police took them into custody after the court rejected their pre-arrest bail petitions in Sindh House attack case.

The petitioners sought their bail before arrest in FIR No. 179/22, dated March 18, 2022,   under section 427, 186, 188, 147, 149, 506, 452, 341 PPC, registered at police station Secretariat, Islamabad for attacking Sindh House.

Earlier, the additional sessions judge, West-Islamabad had dismissed their bail before arrest on April 13.

It was alleged in the FIR   that the petitioners along with other members of PTI hurled abuses, raised slogans, broke the gate of Sindh House, and forcibly tried to enter   the Sindh House’s premises.

The counsel for the petitioners contended that the petitioners are not nominated in the FIR; and the case has been registered against them with malafide intentions.

Conversely, the state counsel contended that the petitioner Syed Sadaqat Ali Sherazi is nominated in the FIR; other three petitioners were nominated in supplementary statement of Sindh House’s controller, and their custody is required by police for conducting investigation.

The bench stated in its order that petitioner Syed Sadaqat Ali Sherazi is nominated in the FIR, whereas other three petitioners were nominated in the supplementary statement of   Sindh House controller recorded on the day of occurrence.

The court said that it was alleged that the petitioners along with other accused launched an attack on Sindh House, damaged the public property, attacked on more than 09 police officials. After breaking gate of Sindh House, they forcibly entered premises, and terrorised members of National Assembly, present in the Sindh House.

The bench observed that the petitioners Faheem Khan, Tanveer Ahmed Khan and Attaullah are the members of National Assembly of Pakistan; they are custodian of law and constitution, and such an illegal and unjustified act was not expected from the public representatives.

Justice Jahangiri said that it is well settled principle of law that while deciding the bail application, before recording of evidence in the trial court, only tentative assessment is to be made by the court and it is not permissible to go into details of evidence in one way or the other that might prejudice the case of either party.

He noted, “Bail before arrest cannot be claimed as a matter of legal right in each case and also it cannot be expected that it would be granted in each case unless legal requirements laid down are met. It is to be kept in view that bail granted before arrest, causes setback in investigation and can stand as stumbling block in the way of recovery of incriminating articles.”

He continued that it is well settled law that relief of pre-arrest bail is granted only in those matters where it would appear that registration of such cases was passed on enmity / malafide or where no offence was shown to have been committed on the very face of record and this is not the position in the instant case.

The judge said that there can be no escape from the fact that the petitioners / accused are implicated in the FIR by eye-witnesses whose statements have been recorded by the police.

“Custody of the petitioners / accused is required for the purpose of recovery and investigation. There is sufficient evidence available on record to connect the petitioners / accused with the commission of crime,” maintained the IHC judge.