Zain Shah urged people to make the February 8 shutdown a success, describing it as a clear message to those in power that deception, oppression, and exploitation will no longer be accepted. He emphasised that the protest is not linked to any political party or individual, but is being held to protect the sanctity of the vote, uphold the Constitution, safeguard public rights, and ensure an independent and sovereign judiciary.
Condemning what he described as a “fake mandate” and imposed governance, Shah said silence in the face of the subversion of the people’s right to vote amounts to complicity. He alleged that the current system has been built on rigging, coercion, and manipulation of electoral processes, including tampering with official forms to engineer assemblies.