ISLAMABAD: The chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) this week recommended an independent audit of the controversial Feb. 8 national polls in Pakistan, saying that the integrity of the elections was “compromised” due to pressure from “extra-democratic quarters,” and questionable decisions by the caretaker government.
Pakistan’s national elections held earlier this month were marred by a shutdown of mobile phone services on polling day and unprecedented delays in announcing results. The move prompted political parties to accuse Pakistan’s election regulator of rigging the polls, which it strongly denies.
Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and other political parties held demonstrations against the alleged rigging in many parts of the country. The protests and crackdowns have fueled political uncertainty in the nuclear-armed South Asian country of 241 million people.
The HRCP published a report of its observations on the recent elections on Saturday, with its chairperson Asad Iqbal Butt saying that its representatives carried out spot-checks of 51 constituencies across the country. It added that their reports indicated that the countrywide Internet and cellular services shutdown and “arbitrary changes” in polling information compromised voters’ access to polling stations.
“The integrity of the 2024 elections was compromised, not only by lack of competence on the part of the ECP [Election Commission of Pakistan] but also by constant pressure from extra-democratic quarters and questionable decisions by the caretaker government,” Butt was quoted as saying in a press release.
He said the polling process “itself remained transparent and peaceful,” noting that the polling staff were well-prepared and well-equipped generally.
However, Butt noted that the post-polling process was “clearly unsatisfactory,” saying that it was observed in one-fifth of all polling stations that the presiding officers did not affix the statement of the count in a conspicuous place for public display.
“Worryingly, reports of candidates, polling agents and observers being denied permission to witness the provisional consolidation of results, also surfaced,” he pointed out.
The HRCP chairperson urged Pakistan’s election regulator to release all forms, including the statement of count, and order ballot recounts in close contests after being petitioned by aggrieved candidates.
“HRCP recommends an independent audit of the 2024 elections under the supervision of a parliamentary body,” Butt said. “Security and intelligence agencies should play no role in managing the electoral process or its outcomes.”
He called on political parties to collectively uphold civilian supremacy by indulging in dialogue.
“Indeed, the biggest casualty of these elections has not been any one individual or political party per se, but democratic values, the rule of law and the aspirations of ordinary people,” Butt concluded.
Political uncertainty increased on Saturday when Liaquat Ali Chattha, a senior bureaucrat and Rawalpindi commissioner, held a news conference wherein he admitted to his involvement in manipulating the election results in 13 national constituencies.
Chattha claimed Pakistan’s chief justice and the ECP top official were also involved in manipulating the results of the elections. Both have strongly denied Chattha’s allegations.