ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign ministry on Saturday criticized the negative statements by certain countries and organizations and said they ignored the “undeniable fact” of Pakistan conducting national elections successfully.
The statement came a day after the United States, Britain, and the European Union separately expressed concerns about Pakistan’s electoral process in the wake of Thursday’s vote and urged a probe into reported irregularities.
Elections were held for 265 seats in the National Assembly and a political party needs 133 seats for a simple majority. The main battle was between former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s party and candidates backed by ex-PM Imran Khan. Both declared victory separately.
The US and the EU both mentioned allegations of interference, including arrests of activists and added that claims of irregularities, interference, and fraud should be fully investigated.
“We are surprised by the negative tone of some of these statements, which neither take into account the complexity of the electoral process nor acknowledge the free and enthusiastic exercise of the right to vote by tens of millions of Pakistanis,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
“These statements ignore the undeniable fact that Pakistan has held general elections, peacefully and successfully, while dealing with serious security threats resulting primarily from foreign sponsored terrorism.”
The EU statement noted on Friday a “lack of a level playing field,” attributing that to “the inability of some political actors to contest the elections” and to restrictions to freedom of assembly, freedom of expression and Internet access.
The Pakistani foreign ministry denied a nationwide Internet shutdown, saying only mobile services were suspended for the day to avoid militant attacks during voting. Pakistan reported 56 incidents of violence on the election day, which resulted in the killing of 16 people and caused injuries to 54 others.
The foreign ministry said the country held the elections as part of its commitment to building a stable and democratic society.
“While we value constructive advice from our friends, making negative commentary even before the completion of the electoral process is neither constructive nor objective,” it added.
“Pakistan will continue to work toward building a vibrant democratic polity. Every election and peaceful transition of power brings us closer to that goal. We do this not on account of the concerns expressed by others but because that is the aspiration of our people and the vision of our founding fathers.”
