Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf workers should go for an appeal against the disqualification of Imran Khan instead of going for rioting on roads.

Addressing a news conference, the federal Interior minister urged the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz workers to take to the streets in their respective cities to show solidarity with the Election Commission of Pakistan. 

He paid tribute to the ECP for, what he called, the commission caught a thief who has been calling everyone a thief.

"All the members of the Election Commission caught him, I pay tribute."

"The security agencies of Punjab should stand with the state instead of thieves. Punjab IGP and Chief Secretary should follow the state law. They should not head to this thief," he maintained.

The ECP declared former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan disqualified in the Tosha Khana reference.

The four-member ECP bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja announced its verdict on Friday at ECP Secretariat in Islamabad .

The decision which was made last month by the five-member ECP bench was unanimous. However, the verdict was announced by a four-member bench today as the ECP Punjab member Babar Hassan Bharwana could not attend the commission’s proceedings as he was not feeling well.

According to the verdict, Imran Khan committed dishonesty and the commission has ordered criminal proceedings against him under Article 63(1)(P).  Imran submitted a false declaration to the Election Commission and lied in his annual returns, the decision states adding that some of the gifts retained from Toshakhana were concealed in his assets.

It says that Imran has been declared disqualified for the current term of assembly and has been de-seated as a member of the National Assembly, it maintained.