With the February 8 polls marred by claims of cheating and result manipulation, US Senator Chris Van Hollen has urged Pakistani authorities to “fully investigate allegations of fraud and electoral interference”.
In a letter to Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, Masood Khan, the legislator emphasized that the polls were marred by allegations of unjust limitations on political freedom and rigging.
His letter comes as several political parties, including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), have condemned widespread rigging and vote manipulation in the general elections.
PTI’s Sher Afzal Marwat sued the Supreme Court under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution to delay the process of forming federal and provincial administrations. He also asked the court to put aside Form 47 of all national and provincial constituencies, prepared in violation of Section 13 (3) of the Election Act 2017, reported The News.
Doubts about the polls were exacerbated by revelations made by now-former Rawalpindi commissioner Liaqat Ali Chatha, who resigned last week due to “guilty conscience” for abetting large-scale electoral rigging in the garrison city, raising the political temperature in the country.
The former bureaucrat has recently withdrawn his charges, emphasizing that his acts were done out in collaboration with the PTI, which had also provided him “lucrative positions in the future”.
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Imran Khan has written to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), requesting that the global lender conduct an audit of the election results before granting any fresh loans for Islamabad.
Senator Hollen’s letter emphasizes that any new government will struggle to unite the nation without a credible investigation as the country requires a strong government with the people’s backing to make difficult but necessary decisions in light of the prevailing economic and security challenges.
“Respecting the decision of the Pakistani people, expressed through their votes, is the only way a new government will be empowered to tackle issues facing Pakistan such as negotiating a new IMF agreement,” the letter goes on to say.
Earlier this week, Washington urged Islamabad to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation of “any claims of interference or fraud” in the February 8 general elections in accordance with Pakistani laws and processes.
When asked about Chatha’s suspicions of bomb rigging, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller issued a statement calling for an investigation.
“Any allegations of meddling or fraud must be thoroughly and honestly examined in accordance with Pakistan’s own laws and processes. And that, of course, includes this claim.
When asked about the US position on upholding the PTI’s mandate, Miller stated that forming a new government was a “internal” Pakistani problem.
“But — that’s something I’ll leave to Pakistan. But, as I have stated, any claims of influence or charges of irregularities should be thoroughly probed,” said the spokeswoman.
