Washington: Citing “strong evidence” of election rigging in Pakistan, a group of influential lawmakers, including Muslim legislators, belonging to ruling Democratic Party urged US President Joe Biden to withhold “recognition” of a new govt in Islamabad until a transparent and credible investigation is conducted.
The Feb 8 general election, marred by allegations of widespread rigging, resulted in a hung Parliament with independents backed by jailed former PM Imran Khan’s PTI winning over 90 seats in the 266-member National Assembly. Ex-premier Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N bagged 75 seats and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto’s PPP got 54 seats. Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan won 17 seats. In a joint letter to President Biden and secretary of state Antony Blinken, lawmakers expressed concerns about “pre-and post-poll rigging in Pakistan’s parliamentary elections” and urged US Congress to “withhold recognition of a new govt in Pakistan until a thorough, transparent, and credible investigation of election interference has been conducted”.
Islamabad is a long-standing ally of Washington and it is in the interest of the US to ensure that democracy thrives in Pakistan and that election results reflect the interests of the Pakistani people, not the interests of the Pakistani elite and military, the letter sent to Biden said.