Allegations of rigging in the 2024 Pakistani general election
[31] Salman Akram Raja, a PTI leader and candidate was quoted in The Guardian saying that he had pursued legal action, referring to the military's involvement by accusing them of rewriting the results.[33] Jan Muhammad Buledi, a former spokesperson of the Balochistan provincial government and secretary general of the National Party was quoted in The Guardian as saying that he received a direct death threat from an army colonel after he publicly accused the military of stuffing the ballot boxes with fake votes in the constituency where he was a candidate.[32] During a press briefing on 13 February, PTI chair Gohar Ali Khan claimed that party had won 180 National Assembly seats, including three in Islamabad, four in Balochistan, 115 in Punjab, 16 in Sindh, and 42 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.They argued that Form 45 data showed them leading by large margins, but the Form-47 results declared candidates from Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan and the PPP as winners, alleging tampering by returning officers."[45] During a news conference on 16 February, PML-N leaders Ataullah Tarar and Maryam Aurangzeb contended that the PTI had fabricated counterfeit Form-45s, which they claim were being circulated on social media as screenshots.[47] On 17 February, more than a week after the election, Rawalpindi Division commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha resigned from his post after admitting his role in electoral fraud in the locality where 11 out of a total of 13 national assembly seats were won by PML-N candidates.[70] Following Chattha's retraction of electoral fraud claims and disappearance, Dawn in its editorial wrote that this turn of events had left the public puzzled and deepened the mystery, prompting urgent calls for an immediate investigation.[84] Another article by the same newspaper said that the growing public discontent with military interference in politics is likely to pressure Pakistan's army chief General Asim Munir, with his only options being to reconcile with Imran Khan or push forward with an anti-Khan coalition, which many analysts believe would be weak and unsustainable.[85] The Washington Post in its editorial board wrote following the election outcome, the military's control is being questioned more than ever before, possibly in decades as for the first time, the military-preferred candidate, Nawaz Sharif, was unable to win the most seats.[92] It added that the military's attempts to influence the election appeared to have been thwarted, particularly due to the PTI's effective utilization of social media, given the significant levels of illiteracy in the country.[93] In a separate article, The Guardian noted analysts' views that the election results and potential weak coalition government align with the military's interests, protecting their political and business agendas.[95] Pakistani columnist Khurram Husain was quoted in a separate piece in the newspaper as saying that Pakistan will experience not only the influence of the military but also a collaborative endeavour involving the judiciary and major political parties to thwart the PTI from assuming power.[98] Sameer Arshad Khatlani in an opinion piece for the Dhaka Tribune wrote "Election results seem to be blowing up in the military establishment’s face which attempted to make Imran Khan irrelevant by jailing him, cracking down PTI".[100] During an interview with The Wire, Najam Sethi remarked that Imran Khan and the PTI had strongly resisted the influence of the military, which led to the latter resorting to last-minute rigging efforts.A new generation of young voters has emerged in Pakistan who are calling for a departure from the past and seeking the ability to elect their leaders, rather than allowing the military, which has historically dominated politics to maintain control over the country.[109] In a piece for the BBC, Mohammed Hanif highlighted that in Pakistan, the desire for the prime ministerial role is rare due to the establishment's belief that elections are too sensitive to be entrusted solely to civilian politicians.He also expressed a desire to see his father Asif Ali Zardari return as president, and said that his party would field nominees for the chairmanship of the Pakistani Senate and the speakership of the National Assembly.[120] On 19 February, the PTI announced that it would form an alliance with the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) solely to secure its portion of reserved seats in the National, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies.As a result, he faced significant criticism from the PPP and the PML-N[125][126] who asserted that the President's action amounts to "abrogating the Constitution" by not convening the NA session, and warned of potential legal consequences.[129] On 28 February, Imran Khan penned a letter to the International Monetary Fund, urging for an audit of the elections to ensure political stability in the country before engaging in discussions for a new bailout package with the incoming PML-N/PPP coalition government.[131] Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar also criticized Khan's letter to the IMF, described it as "unjustified" and "highly irresponsible", and stated that it would have political repercussions for the PTI.[134] On 28 February, at least 31 members of the US Congress wrote a letter to US President Joe Biden, urging him to withhold recognition of the incoming coalition government until a "thorough, transparent, and credible" audit of the election is conducted.[8] President Arif Alvi, stated that the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) could have averted the uncertainty surrounding the election results and reminded of his efforts to introduce them in the country's electoral process.[140] Following the elections, access to X has been sporadic, with availability fluctuating based on the internet service provider, forcing users to rely on virtual private networks (VPNs), as noted by Alp Toker of NetBlocks.[144] Asad Baig, a media strategist at Dawn News said that “The government’s actions reek of authoritarianism, stifling dissent, and silencing voices in the name of maintaining control.”[145] Several condemnations of the ban were also exchanged by many non-governmental organizations.[138] After the elections, a series of leaked audio clips of key leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) surfaced on social media, sparking controversy and speculation regarding internal party negotiations and alleged rigging.PTI leaders also alleged that in Rahim Yar Khan, police conducted raids on the residences of seven PTI-backed independent candidates who had won seats in the election, purportedly to pressure them to join the PML-N.Meanwhile, in Karachi, hundreds of PTI workers and supporters gathered outside the ECP's Sindh office, while newly elected lawmakers, including Ali Amin Gandapur, staged rallies in Peshawar and other areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.The party claimed that around 80 protesters were arrested from Lahore alone, including Mian Shahzad Farooq and Afzaal Azeem Pahat, who contested the election against Maryam Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif, respectively.[175] The same day, Omar Ayub Khan announced that the alliance would initiate a nationwide protest movement to address alleged election rigging and advocate for the "restoration of the Constitution and democracy" across Pakistan.