Imran Khan announces protest outside ECP office in Islamabad on August 4

Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Monday announced to hold a peaceful demonstration outside the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) office on August 4 (Thursday), to demand Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja’s resignation, Aaj News reported.

Addressing the party members at the PTI's national council meeting in Islamabad, Imran Khan accused CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja of being a party in the ongoing political crisis and stressed that the next general elections cannot be held under his supervision.

He also announced holding intra-party polls after the general elections to promote the culture of meritocracy.

Imran recalled how his attempt to bring transparency to the election process by introducing Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) was sabotaged by the CEC, who he blamed was taking directions from the PML-N.

He said that during the recently-held Punjab by-polls, PTI's biggest concern was rigging but "despite multiple attempts, it emerged victorious".

Economy cannot stabilise until return of political stability: Imran Khan

‘Credibility lost’

The PTI chief said that the incumbent government had lost credibility — both nationally and internationally, which is why Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa had to seek help from the US for the IMF (International Monetary Fund) loan.

His remarks come after reports suggested that COAS Qamar Bajwa reached out to US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman last week for help in securing an early loan dispersal from IMF.

Imran said that time had exposed the reality and "incompetence" of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to the people who once thought he was a "smart man".

"It is clear now that these people never thought about the economy or the future of the country," he said. "They never came with a plan or a roadmap to stabilise it. All they wanted was an NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance). "Today, the economy is inching towards a default," the PTI chief continued, adding that "the people who witnessed the conspiracy [against the PTI government] and refused to do anything about it" were equally responsible for the crisis in Pakistan.