The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has alleged that 85 National Assembly seats that it won during the recently held general elections have been snatched through rigging.
In a press conference held in Islamabad on Friday, PTI Central Information Secretary Raoof Hasan termed the February 8 elections the "biggest voter fraud" in Pakistan's history against the party and its candidates.
Hasan further claimed that out of the 177 National Assembly seats that were expected to be won by the PTI, only 92 were awarded to them, with 85 seats allegedly being fraudulently snatched. "The party is taking constitutional and legal steps in this regard."
پاکستان تحریکِ انصاف کی میریٹ ہوٹل اسلام آباد میں اہم ترین پریس کانفرنس، عام اِنتخابات میں عوامی مینڈیٹ پر ڈاکہ زنی کے شواہد پیش کیے جائینگے۔ #PTIPressConference pic.twitter.com/1K3GCE8A1U
— PTI Islamabad (@PTIOfficialISB) February 16, 2024
Providing further details, Hasan stated that the party has verified data concerning 46 seats and is in the process of compiling information for the remaining 39. He also claimed that there were discrepancies between forms 45 and 47, adding the PTI had three ways to ascertain "rigging" in the elections.
The PTI leader also claimed that in some areas, the number of rejected votes was more than the margin of victory between the candidates.
Next, party leader Seemabia Tahir played a video during the press conference, demonstrating the alleged instances of rigging during the February 8 polls. Party member Shandana Gulzar then gave a presentation on the alleged irregularities in the election results, pointing out disparities in the allocation of seats compared to the party's vote count.
“We obtained 1.25 million votes in Karachi, yet we did not get a single seat allocated to us. Similarly, the Jamaat-e-Islami grabbed 700,000 votes but did not get a single NA seat in the city,” she said.
Moreover, she further said, the party-backed candidates got 13.6 million votes but were given 55 seats. "This is a joke with the people of Pakistan,” she expressed, displaying graphics on a screen at the back. She further claimed that as per the results at 3am on February 9, the PTI had won 154 seats in the National Assembly, while the PML-N and PPP had each got 47.
The PTI-backed candidates were winning 42 seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but they were given 37 and the rest were "stolen" from them, she further explained, adding that similarly, from Islamabad, they were winning all three seats that they were eventually 'robbed of'.
“In Punjab, we were winning 115 NA seats and only 55 have been given to us. And in Balochistan, we got four seats, but got one,” she added.
Condemning the alleged rigging further, runner-up independent candidate Salman Akram Raja claimed the "rigging" of results took place at the office of the returning officer (RO). He emphasized the need for transparency and fairness in the election process to uphold democracy.
He said once all the votes have been compiled at the RO office, once Form 45, which details the result of every polling station, has been brought to the RO office, one expects that the final aggregate would be compiled fairly by the RO.
He called the incidents of the election night and Feb 9 a “massive assault” on democracy, alleging that “fictitious” Form 47s were created and Form 45 “tampered with”.
“What is the point in holding an election if you are going to create a result out of thin air? If the state officials responsible for safeguarding the election can be won over... every election becomes a farce,” he said. “Such an exercise means death for democracy in Pakistan. This was not just an election fraud, it was a wholesale assault on democracy in Pakistan."
Ayaz Amir, another PTI-supported independent candidate, shared his experience of alleged irregularities in his constituency, NA-58, including the sealing of the RO's office by the police.
He alleged that he visited the RO office at 6pm on February 8, but was kicked out around 7:30-8pm. “Which means that the RO and other people were inside and they could do what they wanted,” he added.
Rehana Dar, the mother of former PTI member Usman Dar who contested the election from NA-71, expressed dissatisfaction with the election process, alleging intimidation and harassment by opponents.
She alleged that her house was raided on the directives of PML-N leader Khawaja Asif, who contested the election against her and was declared the winner.
Khurram Sher Zaman lamented what he called "daylight robbery" in Karachi during the polls, criticizing the “handing out” of seats to the MQM-P and highlighting discrepancies in the vote count.
The PTI's claims of voter fraud and irregularities in the February 8 elections underscore the ongoing controversy surrounding the electoral process in Pakistan, prompting calls for investigation and accountability.
