AhmedpurEast:Thousands of citizens here Thursday staged a sit-in and blocked the National Highway at Chowk Abbasia as a mark of protest against allegedly changing the result of independent candidate Prince Bahawal Abbas Khan Abbasi.
They chanted slogans againstReturning Officer N-174 and burnt tyres.
According to details, the result of
NA-174 was announced at 11 AM by Returning Officer Bilal Beg, who declared PTI candidate Samiul Hassan Gillani as winner by a margin of approximately six thousand votes.
On hearing this announcement, the supporters of Abbasi marched on the Dera Nawab Sahib road and staged a sit-in, blocking the
National Highway.
Local markets and shopping centres were closed to express solidarity with Bahawal Abbasi. His supporters alleged that staff of
Returning Officer NA-174 had stamped fake ballot papers for NA-174 in a mosque near Returning Officer’s office.
They also shared photos and video clips of the alleged rigging on social media and local journalists.
The angry mob also staged a demonstration in front of the office of ReturningOfficer NA-174 , but heavy contingents of police applied baton charge and dispersed them.