Imran Khan supporters raise slogans of ‘chowkidar chor hai’ while protesting against Pakistan Army

A day after Imran Khan was ousted as the Prime Minister of Pakistan, the supporters of his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) took to the streets to launch protests against the country’s army, calling them thieves for “stealing Khan’s mandate”.

After the no-confidence vote carried out in the Pakistan Parliament did not go in the favour of Imran Khan, his supporters launched protests in several parts of the country such as Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar, Malakand, Multan Khanewal, Khyber, Jhang and Quetta.

The demonstrations by PTI supporters were conducting demonstrations by shouting slogans against the Opposition and the Pakistan Army, most notable of which was the slogan “Chowkidar chor hai.”

Never have such crowds come out so spontaneously and in such numbers in our history, rejecting the imported govt led by crooks. pic.twitter.com/YWrvD1u8MM

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 10, 2022

The rally addressed by PTI leader Sheikh Rashid Ahmed in Punjab province heard the slogan of “chowkidar chor hai” from the crown, who were reportedly protesting against the Pakistani Army and calling them thieves.

راولپنڈی /10 اپریل
پنڈی کی عوام کا شک
عمران خان سے اظہار یکجہتی کے سلسلے میں لال حویلی سے براہ راست عوام کے جام غفیر سے خطابhttps://t.co/Tc0IG0n2DJ@ImranKhanPTI pic.twitter.com/BG7uYtTOqv

— Sheikh Rashid Ahmed (@ShkhRasheed) April 10, 2022

As per the media reports, the protestors in Pakistan were referring to the country’s army as “chowkidar” and calling them thieves who had “stolen Imran Khan’s mandate”. According to a video clip, Sheikh Rashid was trying to stop the protestors from raising slogans against the Pakistan Army.

Ahmed could be heard saying, “Don’t raise slogans…we will fight with peace.” The protests had commenced across Pakistan shortly after the decision of the national assembly was announced, which ousted Imran Khan from the PM post.

The Pakistan Parliament took a late-night no-confidence vote to decide the fate of Imran Khan, who was removed from the Prime Minister position after the session. According to recent reports, opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif is expected to be the next PM of Pakistan.

Shehbaz Sharif, who is the brother of former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif, had filed his nomination as the PM candidate on April 10, and the Pakistan Parliament is set to decide on who will assume the top position for the next session on Monday, April 11.

READ | New Pakistan PM to be elected today, Shehbaz Sharif top contender

The “chowkidar chor hai” slogan is a popular one in politics as it was extensively used by the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi in a campaign launched against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during 2019 Lok Sabha elections in India.