ISLAMABAD: Amid growing calls for an investigation into poll-related irregularities, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Pakistani authorities and political leaders on Monday to resolve issues related to last week’s election through established legal procedures and to avoid any action that could exacerbate tensions.The February 8 elections were characterized by suspicions of cheating and irregularities, as the results were delayed and cell services were suspended on polling day.
Several political groups, primarily the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), are organizing sporadic rallies across the country protesting suspected rigging in favor of opposing candidates.
Independent candidates from Imran Khan’s PTI are leading with 92 seats, followed by PML-N (79) and PPP (53).
In a statement, the UN Secretary-General also encouraged Pakistan to maintain a “calm atmosphere”.
“The secretary-general is monitoring the situation in Pakistan and calls for all issues and disputes to be resolved through established legal frameworks, as well as human rights and the rule of law to be fully respected in the interest of Pakistan’s people,” his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said in response to a question at the regular noon briefing in New York.
“The secretary general urges the authorities and political leaders to maintain a calm atmosphere, and to reject and refrain from all forms of violence and avoid any actions that could increase or inflame tensions.”
Other countries, notably the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, have also asked that Pakistan investigation the claims regarding election fraud.
“We have seen charges of meddling and fraud, and we want to ensure that Pakistan’s legal system investigates them thoroughly. “We will continue to monitor that in the coming days,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a normal news conference on Monday.
Responding to the requests for a probe, interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar denied that Pakistan will examine the alleged fraud of the February 8 general elections under any circumstances.
During a news conference at the PM House on Monday, Kakar was asked to comment on the US and UK requests to examine suspicions of rigging and delays in the announcement of results.
“Pakistan is a sovereign state and will not bow to any pressure,” he said.
He saw that other countries and worldwide forums base their assumptions and opinions on fragmented information from social media.
“If there are any allegations, we will look into them according to our own laws and make no demands of any other country,” he went on to say.
