• TTAP hints at ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’, urges shutter-down strike
• Committees formed at international, national and provincial levels
• JUI-F to hold public rally in Rawalpindi
ISLAMABAD / RAWALPINDI: Opposition parties have finalised plans to mark Feb 8 with nationwide protests against what they describe as rigging in the 2024 general elections. Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) has indicated it may announce a Jail Bharo Tehreek (court arrest movement) and called on citizens to keep their businesses closed, while Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has announced a public rally in Rawalpindi.
TTAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai said on Monday that the call for a countrywide protest on Feb 8 — the second anniversary of the 2024 polls — would not be withdrawn “under any circumstances”. He urged people to shut down commercial activity for the day, which falls on a Sunday.
Hinting at a possible Jail Bharo Tehreek, Mr Achakzai said the planned protest would be only the beginning and that further steps would follow.
He was speaking while chairing a meeting of the TTAP, attended by alliance vice chief Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, former Sindh governor Zubair Umar, Asad Qaiser, Dr Ammar Ali Jan, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, Akhunzada Hussain Yousufzai and Advocate Khalid Chaudhry.
The participants decided to observe Feb 8 as a Black Day and vowed to ensure a nationwide strike. They announced the formation of 10 committees at international, national and provincial levels to oversee and coordinate the protest.
The meeting termed Feb 8 a day of humiliation for the nation, alleging that citizens had been deprived of their constitutional right to freely elect their representatives.
Participants also expressed concern over the sentencing of rights activist Advocate Imaan Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, describing the verdicts as violations of constitutional guarantees of free expression and fair trial.
The meeting further warned of a looming humanitarian crisis in the Tirah valley of Khyber Agency, cautioning that millions could be forced to migrate amid harsh weather conditions. It also stated that any deviation from resolutions passed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and decisions taken by the national jirga would amount to an infringement on provincial autonomy.
The alliance criticised the government’s decision to join US President Donald Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ without taking parliament or the public into confidence, questioning Pakistan’s participation in a forum from which Palestinians were excluded.
Later, a TTAP delegation led by Mr Achakzai visited the residence of former PTI leader Dr Shireen Mazari to express solidarity with her following the arrest and conviction of her daughter and son-in-law.
JUI-F rally in Rawalpindi
Separately, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced that his party would hold a public rally in Rawalpindi on Feb 8 to protest the alleged rigging in the 2024 elections.
According to JUI-F Rawalpindi district spokesperson Hafiz Ziaullah, Maulana Fazlur Rehman will address the gathering. He described the Feb 8 elections as “the killing of the public mandate” and an “insult to the nation’s vote”, adding that the results would not be accepted under any circumstances.
He said the government formed after the 2024 polls would be rejected “through public power” and that the party’s struggle would continue for the restoration of democratic principles.
The spokesperson said preparations for the rally had begun and instructions issued to all tehsil-level organisations, workers and office-bearers in Rawalpindi district to ensure maximum participation.
Initially, the party announced Dera Taji Khokhar near the old airport as the venue, though the location is likely to change. Hafiz Ziaullah said a meeting of the JUI-F general council would be held on Jan 31, after which the final venue would be decided and an application submitted to the district administration by Feb 1.
He added that tehsil chapters had been directed to form mobilisation committees to bring large numbers of participants to the rally.
Meanwhile, the district administration has imposed Section 144 in Rawalpindi since December, extending it on a weekly basis. The current order, which bans public gatherings, remains in force from Jan 23 to Feb 6.
A senior district administration official told Dawn that any request for permission to hold a public gathering would be forwarded to the Punjab government after a review by the District Intelligence Committee.