Rigged and Exposed: Testimonies Confirm the Brazen Theft of PTI's Mandate
The electoral charade in Pakistan has been nothing but a grotesque display of power abuse and corruption, an assault on the fundamental principles of democracy. The rigged elections, carried out as if it were a military drill, dismantled the very soul of democracy, reducing it to a hollow facade. The sheer audacity with which the electoral process was manipulated, leaving no room for doubt or semblance of fairness, is a damning indictment of the decay within Pakistan's electoral system. This orchestrated farce not only robbed the people of their voice but also plunged Pakistan deeper into the abyss of authoritarianism and institutionalized corruption, betraying the aspirations of its citizens and tarnishing the essence of democratic governance. This brazen theft of public mandate, forced even members of rival political parties including the Balochistan National Party (BNP), Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party (PNAP), and even members of Pakistan Muslim League (PMLN), to come forward to acknowledge that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s mandate was stolen and condemn the travesty of justice that unfolded.
During a press conference, Sardar Lashkari Raisani, member of BNP, who contested against PTI in NA-263, shed light on historic rigging in Balochistan and Quetta, emphasizing the gravity of the situation and the widespread dissatisfaction among the populace regarding electoral integrity. He pointed out the resulting protests and road closures, reflecting a profound lack of trust in the judicial system and parliamentary representation [1].
In a similar vein, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, chairman of PMAP, who contested against PTI in NA-266, called for acknowledging the electoral outcome and transfer of power to Imran Khan’s PTI. His statement, "The youth turned 'their' planning upside down. We should repent and hand over power to the PTI," underscores a recognition of the electoral outcome while also hinting at potential disillusionment within other parties [2].
Testimonies from various other political parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), provide additional evidence of the blatant theft of PTI’s mandate. During a press conference, the Jamaat-e-Islami candidate from NA-64 raised concerns about discrepancies in the electoral process, specifically mentioning the returning officer's failure to adhere to legal procedures and consolidate Form 45 in the presence of candidates. Additionally, a candidate from the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) who also contested from NA-64, also corroborated these claims, admitting that the PTI candidate had the highest number of votes in the same press conference [3].
Similarly, Mirajul Hadi Siddiqui, the candidate representing Jamaat-e-Islami in NA-235 constituency, Karachi, voiced profound concerns regarding the outcome of the elections [4]. He asserted that Saif-ur-Rehman, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) backed candidate, emerged as the clear victor with over 21,000 votes, as validated by the original Forms 45. However, despite this undeniable evidence, the victory was shockingly awarded to Iqbal Khan of the MQM, who was in fact trailing behind at the fourth position. Mirajul Hadi asserted that this is treachery at its finest, a blatant scam perpetrated to undermine the democratic process and manipulate the will of the people.
“We (only) accept the result (given by) the public and the people’s mandate, and we utterly reject the official (fabricated) results [results based on fabricated Form 47] with utmost contempt. And (we endorse that) it is the right of Saif-ur-Rehman to represent NA-235.”
Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, the candidate of Jamaat-e-Islami, has taken a commendable step by relinquishing his seat, highlighting the flagrant manipulation of election results. He asserted that the declared winner's votes were significantly underreported and exposing discrepancies in MQM's vote count, paints a grim picture of the corrupt and deceitful electoral practices rampant in our system [5]. In a scathing condemnation during his party's press conference, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman declared, "If anyone dares to engineer our victory through illegitimate means, we categorically reject it. The voice of the public must be honored; let the rightful winner prevail and the deserving loser accept defeat without any foul play… The Election Commission has shown less votes (of winning candidate as compared to mine) but I did not win, therefore I am giving up this seat. The [PTI backed] independent candidate Saif Bari is the genuine winner, it’s unfair that the result was manipulated and his votes were reported (rigged by authorities) as 11,000 instead of 31,000.”
Similarly, Sabir Hussain Awan's accusations from Jamaat-e-Islami against the ANP candidate and the returning officer paint a damning picture of the rampant rigging and corruption plaguing our electoral system [6]. His allegations of pre-poll rigging and result manipulation, coupled with glaring discrepancies in officially declared votes, expose a web of deceit and foul play orchestrated to benefit the winning candidate. “This is a travesty with the constituency, with the nation, as well as with the people’s mandate.” he added in a statement. Awan called for an immediate investigation into the conduct of the returning officer to salvage what remains of the sanctity of our democratic process.
In another testimony, Khushal Khan, leader of the Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party, acknowledged the electoral success of PTI. "We definitely have our political differences," he stated, "but the truth is, PTI has won majority seats." Khushal Khan highlighted the irregularities and injustices during the electoral process and asserted that despite the fact that the current regime stole PTI's electoral symbol, threatened their candidates, and unfairly rejected the nomination papers of their candidates, and even with pre-poll and post-poll rigging, the regime failed to secure a majority, underscoring the strength of PTI's electoral performance [7].
Apart from that, in a recently leaked audio, Mustafa Kamal is seen narrating that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) conveyed that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) asserted the electoral mandate of other political parties is only 50-60%. Whereas, the mandate of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) is 100% fake. "PMLN has told us that in the joint meeting of PMLN and PPP, People's Party said that the mandate of other parties is 50-60 percent fake and that the mandate of MQM is 100% fake", he said [8]. These allegations, if true, raise serious questions about the legitimacy of electoral mandates and highlight concerns about the integrity of the democratic process in Pakistan.
In yet another audio leak [9], Kamran Tessori candidly stated that their own electoral victory was built upon forgery and brazenly acknowledges the manipulation of votes. "We explained to them that our mandate is 100% fake, so yours [MQM] is 200% fake. We got seats the next day by mixing the votes of the day and night, just like others got the mandate."
Even several members of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have acknowledged instances of election rigging. In a recent interview, former prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi shed light on the sentiments echoing through the aftermath of the February 8 election, "The winners are ashamed, they don't consider themselves worthy to receive congratulations… People are saying we voted for someone else, someone else won" [10]. In a separate interview, Javed Latif, also admitted that his party was given the government on February 9 by forging the election results [11]. Additionally, PMLN member Nisar Cheema stated, "I was offered a win, but I declined. The slogan of the party is to respect the vote, so how can a false mandate be taken?" [12].
The revelations and testimonies presented here leave no room for doubt or denial: Pakistan's electoral process has been shamelessly manipulated, and the entire political spectrum is acutely aware of this not-so-well-camouflaged rigging. The Forms 45 released by ECP with elementary-level forgery is a laughable attempt to cover up this glaring truth, but it does not fool anyone. This illegitimate government parades around like this emperor, proudly displaying their fabricated election results as if they were some regal attire. They expect the public to buy into their charade, to believe that they are clothed in the legitimacy of the people’s mandate. But the emperor has in fact no clothes, and this government has no legitimacy. The public is not naive; they see through the charade and understand that their mandate has been stolen, and they will not rest until justice is served. The illusion of legitimacy crafted by these manipulative tactics is crumbling, and those who continue to peddle these lies are on borrowed time. Anyone who believes that the nation will accept these sham results should be diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive wishful thinking disorder. The public outcry for accountability and transparency in our electoral system must not be ignored.
References
[1] PTI Canada. (2024, February 10). Testimony of Sardar Lashkari Raisani. PTI Canada Official. https://x.com/PTIOfficialCA/status/1756433327483924714?s=20
[2] Naya Pakistan. (2024, February 11). Testimony of Mehmood Achakzai. Naya Pakistan. https://x.com/Naya__Pakistan_/status/1756627534605644169?s=20
[3] PTI Canada. (2024, February 15). Testimony of Jamaat-e-Islami candidate from NA-64. PTI Canada Official. https://x.com/PTIOfficialCA/status/1758299873261101213?s=20
[4] ABC Urdu News. (2024, February 12). Testimony of Miraj Hadi Siddiqui. ABC Urdu News. https://twitter.com/ABCNewsUrdu/status/1756966721993183422
[5] BBC News. (2024, February 15). Pakistan Election: Politician gives up seat he says was rigged for his win. BBC News (World). https://twitter.com/BBCWorld/status/1758019724946931939?s=20
[6] Subtitled By PTI. (2024, February 12). Testimony of Sabir Hussain Awan. Subtitled By PTI. https://twitter.com/SubtitledByPTI/status/1757217358798582182?s=20
[7] Subtitled By PTI. (2024, February 15). Testimony of Khushal Khan. Subtitled By PTI. https://x.com/SubtitledByPTI/status/1758201242256331083?s=20
[8] Siasat.pk. (2024, February 27). Leaked Audio of Mustafa Kamal. Siasat.pk. https://x.com/siasatpk/status/1762443071382245515?s=20
[9] Siasat.pk. (2024, February 28). Kamran Tessori's Audio Leak. Siasat.pk. https://x.com/siasatpk/status/1762736117760086203?s=20
[10] Siasat.pk. (2024, February 25). Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Statement. Siasat.pk. https://x.com/siasatpk/status/1761661493735535058?s=20
[11] PTI. (2024, February 25). Javed Latif's Statement. PTI Official. https://x.com/PTIofficial/status/1761784441389879590?s=20
[12] Siasat.pk. (2024, February 28). Nisar Cheema Statement. Siasat.pk. https://x.com/siasatpk/status/1762915574617653624?s=20