ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on Tuesday held countrywide demonstrations in front of the offices of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) after accusing its top official of “partisan” conduct and demanding his resignation.
The PTI government was ousted from power after the former prime minister lost a no-confidence vote earlier this month.
Last week, Khan told a news conference that Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja was not neutral since he was deliberately taking action against his party while calling for him to resign.
The top ECP official dismissed the demand while talking to a local news channel, saying he was working in the best interests of the country and would continue to do so.
According to videos aired by Pakistani media channels, PTI workers staged demonstrations outside the ECP offices across the country. The authorities had also deployed additional police force in different cities to ensure the security ECP buildings and employees.
In Islamabad, the Red Zone had been sealed after the ECP wrote a letter to the interior ministry for security.
The Red Zone is a heavily protected area and home to foreign embassies and major government installations, including the Election Commission of Pakistan head office.
Soon after his ouster, former prime minister Khan kicked off an anti-government campaign and held rallies in Peshawar, Karachi and Lahore.
The former PM has claimed the campaign to oust him was part of a foreign conspiracy orchestrated by the United States, though Washington has denied the charge.
