A Pakistani opposition leader has praised India’s recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, drawing a comparison with the ongoing controversies in his country in the wake of widespread claims of rigging since the February elections.
“I don’t want to quote the example of the enemy country. Elections have recently concluded there, with more than 800 million people voting in lakhs of polling stations. The election was conducted using EVM for one month, but did anyone say the polls were rigged?” said Pakistan opposition leader Shibli Faraz. In an impassioned speech, he asked, “Why can’t Pakistan have free and fair elections?”
India’s six-week-long election came to an end last week, following which the NDA, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, secured a majority. Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to power for the third time after a mammoth electoral exercise in the largest democracy in the world. The nationwide polls were largely peaceful, and the government was formed within a week of the announcement of results.
In the Pakistani Parliament, opposition leader Shibli Faraz praised the Indian electoral process, highlighting how the world’s largest democracy conducted its lengthy elections with EVMs, announced results, and transferred power smoothly without any allegations of fraud. Why… pic.twitter.com/eNnzidup3x— Ghulam Abbas Shah (@ghulamabbasshah) June 13, 2024
In contrast, rigging claims in the February 8 polls persisted months after the elections concluded in Pakistan in February. Despite this, the Election Commission of Pakistan continues to deny allegations of fraud. During his address in the Pakistani parliament, Faraz underlined how, in every general election, Pakistan struggles with political legitimacy.
“The one who loses (the election) doesn’t concede, and the winner remains unrelenting. These sorts of issues have left our country politically bankrupt.” Pakistan’s imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan last month told court officials that parliamentary elections held earlier this year were stolen from his party, which he claimed is being victimized.
There was no immediate comment from the government about Khan’s allegation. Before his arrest, Khan had accused the Election Commission of Pakistan of converting the success of his party into a defeat. “It was the biggest robbery that was committed on the public mandate,” Khan said in remarks to the Supreme Court via video link.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party received the most seats in the Feb. 8 election but it lacked a simple majority to rule. Khan’s party refused to form a coalition government, paving the pay for his political rivals, including the party of another former premier, Nawaz Sharif, to form the government.
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