Pakistan: Opposition party to protest in Lahore August 6 /update 2

Event

The Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) opposition party is calling for a protest march to be held in Lahore on Monday, August 6. According to TLP leaders, the demonstration will start at Data Darbar and end at the Punjab Assembly. The march is being organized to denounce the results of the July 25 elections, which the TLP claims was rigged in favor of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Heightened security measures and localized traffic disruptions are anticipated along the march route.

Additional election-related protests are possible in Jahore and other major urban areas across the country in the coming days and weeks.

Context

Khan declared victory in a speech on Thursday, July 26, promising to investigate election fraud and unite Pakistan under his administration. Early results show PTI leading in 116 of the 272 constituencies in an election that had turnout near 55 percent. Ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leads in 64 constituencies and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, leads in 43 constituencies. A party is required to secure 137 constituencies to form a majority government. Both the PPP and the leader of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) party have rejected the election results, claiming the preliminary tallies as "blatantly rigged" and alleged vote rigging and manipulation.

The election marks the second time in Pakistan's history of a transfer of power from one civilian government to another. The campaign season has witnessed violence, as election-related gatherings have been targeted repeatedly by militants resulting in hundreds of deaths, including at least 31 people killed in a suicide attack on a polling station in Quetta on election day, July 25. Additionally, some candidates have accused the security establishment of threatening party members and choosing sides in the election.

Advice

Individuals in Pakistan are advised to monitor developments to the situation, avoid all demonstrations and protests, remain vigilant for militant activity and signs of civil unrest, and adhere to instructions by local authorities.