Almost two weeks after the election in Pakistan, the world’s fifth most populous country, there is great uncertainty about the election result. The two second largest parties – the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PMLN) – have agreed to form a coalition government. At the same time, supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan are protesting against the result. They demand new elections and have taken the claim to the courts. Do you think Khan actually won? Imran Khan has himself declared election victory from prison. His supporters won 93 out of a total of 264 seats in parliament. He himself is in prison. But Imran Khan has many supporters inside and outside Pakistan. Photo: AFP Khan’s party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was barred from participating in the election. Khan was recently sentenced to 14 years in prison for corruption. Norwegian-Pakistani Aimen Mir is one of many who believe the election was characterized by electoral fraud. Mir believes that it was former Prime Minister Imran Khan who actually got the most votes. Aimen Mir thinks Pakistan is on the right track, after all. Photo: PRIVAT Mir does not believe there is any merit in either the charges or the verdict against Khan. – Accusations of corruption are easy to resort to in Pakistan, so it came as no surprise. They had to do something to remove him, says Mir to news. Aimen Mir is one of many Khan supporters in Norway. She is deputy leader of the organization Insaf Norway, which works for democracy and freedom of expression in Pakistan. She is sure that Khan is the real winner of the election. – The official result is completely tragicomic. We have followed the election closely and followed the count until quite late. When I went to bed, there was a clear lead to Khan’s party. When we woke up, the result was upside down, says Mir. Female protesters protest the election results by blocking a bridge in Sindh province on February 20. Photo: AFP Coming forward with election fraud Recently, a recognized election worker in Punjab came forward and said he had contributed to election fraud. Rawalpindi Liaqat Ali Chattha has said that he helped to manipulate the result and that he has barely slept since. – I take responsibility for the mistakes that have been made. I should be punished and so should the others who have participated in these offences, Chatta said at a press conference. Rawalpindi Liaqat Ali Chattha says he has participated in electoral fraud. Now he is arrested. Photo: AFP He has now been arrested. Pakistan’s Election Commission denies that election fraud has taken place, but says it will investigate the allegations. Acting Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar also rejects the allegations of election rigging. He calls the election “a step to promote democracy”. Professor Emerita at Oslo Met, Elisabeth Eide, is in Lahore now. She talks about both frustration and optimism. – Some people believe that the fact that so many people voted, not least many young people, is after all a positive sign, she says. Elisabeth Eide Photo: Fouad Acharki / news Eide points out that the V-Dem institute in Sweden characterizes Pakistan as an “autocracy with elections”, and ranks the country as number 106 out of 180 countries on the democracy index from 2023. – If electoral fraud is as extensive as a part says, and it is not addressed, it will contribute to the spread of pessimism and loss of illusion, especially among young people, says Eide to news. I think things are going in the right direction. Norwegian-Pakistani Aimen Mir is nonetheless optimistic on Pakistan’s behalf. She believes international attention and pressure after the alleged electoral fraud can make it more difficult for the incumbent elite and the military. According to the official result, Khans and his supporters won 93 seats out of the 264 in the country’s National Assembly. This means that many – and probably even more, according to Mir – reject the Pakistani military that has arrested Khan. – The fact that so many people came out and voted for Khan shows that people have woken up. The military has intervened many times before, but the population has never gotten involved like now. Supporters of former prime minister and cricket star Imran Khan are demanding new elections following allegations of electoral fraud. Photo: Reuters – That’s why I think this could end well for Pakistan. Whether it happens immediately is not certain. But we are on the right track. She says Khan is popular among Pakistanis all over the world – including in Norway. – We live good dignified lives here in a democratic system. The fact that Khan wants to introduce something similar to the Nordic welfare model in Pakistan is very irritating. With 236 million inhabitants, Pakistan is the world’s fifth most populous country. It is former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who is now leading the effort to put a government in place. According to the constitution, it must be voted on in parliament on 29 February. Former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will try to set up a new government. Photo: AFP
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Full chaos after allegations of electoral fraud in Pakistan – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
