ISLAMABAD: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Monday expressed concern over alleged “manipulation” of the electoral landscape and “systematic dismemberment” of one political party, weeks ahead of national elections in the South Asian country. 

The statement by the HRCP, an independent, non-government organization committed to protecting human rights and democratic values, came amid allegations of “pre-poll rigging” by former prime minister Imran Khan’s party, following rejection of election nominations of several of its members for Feb. 8 national polls. 

Last week, Pakistan’s election regulator rejected election nominations of Khan and several members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, Murad Saeed and Dr. Amjad Khan, in a move the PTI described as “politically motivated.” 

In a statement, the HRCP said it was “deeply concerned” over the overall deterioration of democratic and human rights in the South Asian country. 

“Foremost is the blatant manipulation of the electoral landscape in which one political party among others has been singled out for systematic dismemberment. While HRCP does not condone violence in any form perpetrated by anyone, the state’s response has been disproportionate and unlawful,” the watchdog said in a statement, without naming Khan’s PTI but in a clear reference to the party. 

“This has assumed a familiar pattern, including arrests of party workers and supporters, lack of transparency concerning the charges involved, crackdowns on party workers’ right to peaceful assembly, enforced disappearances, obvious signs of pressure on party leaders to resign or exit politics altogether and, most recently, the large-scale rejection of candidates’ nomination papers.” 

Various other parties had also been subjected to similar tactics to varying degrees, the watchdog noted, saying that at this point, there was “little evidence” to show that the upcoming elections would be free, fair or credible. 

Last month, Khan’s party was also stripped of its electoral symbol, a cricket bat, by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for violating rules in intraparty elections. The symbol is reflective of Khan’s past as a successful cricketer, who led Pakistan to their only 50-over World Cup win in 1992. 

However, a Pakistani high court on Dec. 26 suspended the ECP’s decision and restored cricket bat as the election symbol of Khan’s party. 

Khan, a 71-year-old former cricket star, has been embroiled in a tangle of political and legal battles since he was ousted as prime minister in April 2022. He has not been seen in public since he was jailed for three years in August for unlawfully selling state gifts while in office from 2018 to 2022. 

The ex-premier has been disqualified from contesting the national elections because of the corruption conviction, but he nevertheless filed nomination papers for the elections. 

Khan, widely seen as the country’s most popular leader, says he is being targeted by the powerful military, which wants to keep him out of the polls. The military denies this. 

Meanwhile, the election commission accepted former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s nomination from two constituencies for the Feb. 8 elections, weeks after a court overturned his two graft convictions. But Sharif still needs a life ban on holding any public office to be removed to qualify to stand, so it was not immediately clear how his nomination was accepted. 

Khan’s party sees the recent judgments granting relief to Sharif and his family members as favors given to his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, which appears poised to take over the reins of the country once again. 

However, Sharif, who arrived back home in October from four years of self-imposed exile in Britain, faces the biggest challenge of wresting back his support base from Khan. 

“HRCP strongly believes that these concerns must be tackled as a matter of priority by an elected government that comes to power in a transparent manner, functions independently of external pressure, and commits to protecting and upholding the rights of all citizens and residents,” the watchdog said.