The US “directions” to look into claims of election tampering are rejected by Pakistan’s Foreign Office

Pakistan has rejected the US proposal to look into irregularities in the general elections that were held on February 8 and said it would not bow to outside pressure.

In her weekly news conference on Friday, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch unequivocally said that “no country could give directions” to Pakistan, an independent and sovereign country.

Dawn News cited Baloch as stating, “We believe in our own sovereign right to make decisions about Pakistan’s internal affairs,” in response to her US counterpart’s remarks on claims of irregularities during the contentious recent elections.

According to Pakistan’s rules and processes, any allegations of fraud or influence should be thoroughly and openly probed, according to US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller earlier this week.

Miller said on another occasion: “We want to see those investigations into reported irregularities proceed © [and] wrapped up as soon as possible.”

The remarks were sparked by allegations of election results manipulation and tampering, mostly made by the incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party-backed candidates.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) declared the results after an extraordinary delay.

Strongly disputing the allegations, the ECP and the caretaker government have urged political parties to submit their concerns to court and other relevant channels in order to seek legal remedies.

There are other US officials besides Miller who have voiced worries about the surveys.

A number of powerful lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party—including Muslim legislators—have urged US President Joe Biden to delay “recognition” of a new government in Islamabad until a transparent and reliable investigation is completed, citing “strong evidence” of election rigging in Pakistan.

Following significant charges of electoral manipulation, Pakistan’s general election on February 8 produced a hung parliament, with independent candidates supported by the PTI party securing over 90 seats in the 266-member National Assembly.

The Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP), led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto, received 54 seats, while former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) secured 75 seats.

17 seats were won by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P).

The lawmakers expressed their concerns about “pre- and post-poll rigging in Pakistan’s recent parliamentary elections” in a joint letter to President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. They urged the US Congress to “withhold recognition of a new government in Pakistan until a thorough, transparent, and credible investigation of election interference has been conducted.”

Washington has always maintained ties with Islamabad, and the letter issued on Wednesday said that it is in the US’s best interests to see to it that democracy prevails in Pakistan and that the electorate’s interests are represented in the outcomes of elections, not those of the country’s elite or armed forces.

Following the election, which left the Parliament with a hung parliament, Khan’s hopes of winning reelection may be eliminated as the PML-N and the PPP negotiated a post-election agreement with four other parties to create a coalition government.

To establish the government, a party has to win 133 of the 266 seats in the National Assembly that are up for fight.

The PTI has vehemently disagreed with the PML-N and PPP’s efforts to create a coalition government, threatening to bring about the worst kind of political instability should the “mandate thieves” steal its popular support.

“We implore you to postpone recognizing a new Pakistani government until a comprehensive, transparent, and reliable investigation has been completed, considering the compelling evidence of pre- and post-election rigging.”

The US congressmen warned that if this crucial action is not taken, Pakistani authorities’ anti-democratic actions run the danger of being encouraged and the democratic will of the Pakistani people may be compromised.

The letter directed State Department representatives stationed in Pakistan to get information about political speech and activity-related arrests and to lobby for the release of all incarcerated political prisoners.

In addition to threatening “the potential for military and other cooperation to be halted,” it asked the Biden administration to “make clear” to Pakistani authorities that US law holds people accountable for actions that violate human rights, undercut democracy, or encourage corruption.

Thirty-five Congressmen, headed by Gregorio Casar of the Democratic Party, have issued a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and President Joe Biden pleading with them not to recognize the new administration in Islamabad until the financially constrained nation conducts an official investigation into the claims of rigging.

Baloch said, “This is a communication between public officials in the US and is not addressed to the government of Pakistan,” in answer to an inquiry on the letter.

As a result, we cannot react on such letters.

According to Baloch, Pakistan has a vibrant democracy with the internal structures needed to deal with problems pertaining to elections or democratic procedures.

The spokeswoman declined to comment on Imran Khan, the founder of the PTI, and his letter to the International Monetary Fund, which connected any further funding to the election audit.

“As you are aware, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, the acting prime minister, has spoken out on this issue. She said, “The Ministry of Finance leads on matters pertaining to the IMF, so they will be in a better position to comment on this subject.”