Gunfire was reported outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in Islamabad shortly after the disqualification verdict against PTI chief Imran Khan in the Toshakhana reference while PTI supporters in big and small cities came out on the streets to protest against the verdict.
Islamabad police later tweeted that an MNA Saleh Muhammad was accompanied by two gunmen who were both armed. The shot was fired as members of Islamabad police grappled with the police officer accompanying the MNA to deprive him of the vehicle.
“It is against the law to carry any type of weapon inside the red zone,” the Islamabad police said in the tweet. The Islamabad police said that they seized the firearm from the policeman.
Later, in another video, the cop could be seeing saying that he was willing to die for Imran Khan.
It was later reported that the MNA and the two policeman were taken into custody.
Meanwhile, PTI supporters gathered at the Faizabad Interchange in Islamabad, which serves as a main entry point to the city and connects it to other cities.
The protesters blocked the road and raised slogans, forcing a diversion of traffic.
The Islamabad police had earlier tweeted that patrolling at the entrance points of Islamabad had been increased and emergency imposed in hospitals.
In Karachi, a large number of PTI supporters have gathered at the party headquarters, the Insaf House. It is located on Shahra-e-Faisal, the main artery that runs through Karachi and the city’s busiest thoroughfare.
A large contingent of police has also been deployed at the site to avoid any untoward incident and stop PTI workers from blocking the road.
Meanwhile, in Lahore, PTI supporters came out of on the street to register their protest against the verdict.
Scores of people, including women, gathered at Lahore’s Jail Road, impeding traffic and raising slogans against the ECP. PTI supporters also congregated at the Amar Sindhi Chungi, Kalima Chowk, and Shahdara.
Similar scenes were witnessed in Peshawar, where the PTI is in government and enjoys massive support.
A large number of supporters gathered at the Ring Road, which had to be closed for traffic. They raised slogans against the ECP verdict while reiterating their support for Imran Khan.
In Imran Khan’s hometown Mianwali, PTI workers gathered at Watakhel Chowk and burnt tyres to block road to protest against the ECP verdict. Several key roads, including the Jalakar road, was closed for traffic.
Following the election commission’s decision, Imran Khan was de-seated from Mianwali NA-95.
An audio clip, attributed to PTI leader and former federal minister Ali Amin Gandapur, is doing the rounds on social media in which he is asking party workers in DI Khan to close off the entry and exit points to the city.
He urged party supporters to come out of their homes and to continue to ‘protest peacefully’ until the ECP withdraws its verdict.
“Until the decision is overturned, we will keep the whole of Pakistan blocked,” he can he heard telling supporters while instructing them to forward the message.
In Kasur, PTI workers blocked the Ferozepur Road by parking vehicles at the Toll Plaza, resulting in the closure of the road for all traffic.
The closure resulted in long queues of vehicles as workers raised slogans against the PTI verdict.
In the town of Okara, PTI workers protested at the GT Road raising slogans in support of PTI.
It resulted in bottlenecks and a beeline of vehicles, causing problems to commuters.
Protests in the the Haripur district of Hazara Division in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were on the brink of violence, with a large number of protesters indulging in arson and raising slogans against the ECP over its verdict.
PTI supporters held a protest at the Yadgar Park roundabout, resulting in road closure on the Lahore-Sargodha road, with anti-ECP slogans punctuating the air.
There were long queues on either side of the highway as traffic movement was reduced to a snail’s pace.
In the nearby city of Pattoki, around 100 kms away, PTI workers blocked a key bypass, blocking the National Highway for traffic.
PTI supporters from Wazirabad, Gakhar Mandi and Alipur Chatha have started moving towards the Rawalpindi bypass to register their protest against the ECP verdict.
“The verdict against Imran Khan is contrary to the people’s aspirations,” said one PTI supporter.
Visuals from Hafizabad in Punjab showed PTI workers setting tyres on fire to block a main thoroughfare.
PTI workers blocked the main thoroughfare, the City Chowk, in Bahwalnagar to reigster their protest against the ECP verdict to disqualify Imran Khan from holding public office.
Habib Khan Niazi from Mianwali, Imran Faizi from Kasur, Malik Iqbal from Haripur, Shahbaz Shaheen from Okara and Mazhar Ali Khan from Dera Ismail Khan contributed to this report
