ISLAMABAD: In a symbolic decision, Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf has chosen D-chowk Islamabad as its last stop in the fierce election campaign, currently underway across the country.
This is the venue where the party staged it’s months-long protest and sit in against alleged rigging in the 2013 elections. Moreover, the 2013 electioneering also ended at the same square, that has become a witness to the ebb and flow of the party.
The request has been forwarded by the party to the relevant authorities and Under Section 182 of the Elections Act 2017, it is mandatory for candidates and the parties to end electioneering 48 hours prior to the polling.
PTI supremo, Imran Khan began his election campaign in his home constituency of Mianwali which is one of the five constituencies, he will be contesting from.
Capital city’s D-chowk is reminiscent of the protest PTI began in 2014 with demands of an inquiry into alleged rigging that escalated to a completely anti-government protest, demanding the ouster of the former premier Nawaz Sharif.
The emotionally-charged months of the sit-in were characterized by unpredictability and tension, with Tahir-ul Qadri’s Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) providing succor to Imran Khan.
The sit-in was viewed by some as a failure and by others as a nuisance in the capital city for such an extended period of time.
For Imran Khan, however, the sit-in was a testament to the faith his supporters have in him and the commitment they showed to the cause of accountability.
The party was making very little headway in the protest but decided to formally end it regardless of any substantial outcome in light of the 2014 terrorist attack on the Army Public School Peshawar (APS).
