More than a week after the parliamentary election, there is great frustration in the South Asian country. The state is preparing to counter protests.
In Pakistan, thousands of opposition supporters took to the streets around a week after the elections. Supporters of the PTI party led by imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan demonstrated in numerous cities against the results of the February 8 parliamentary election, as local media reported. Among other things, the protest participants demanded transparency and complained about “stolen votes”. The state responded with a massive security force presence.
The parliamentary election in the South Asian country with more than 240 million inhabitants was overshadowed by allegations of manipulation. On election day itself, the authorities restricted mobile phone services and the internet. There were massive delays in announcing the results. The country’s youth in particular are disappointed.
Independent candidates with connections to imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his opposition party PTI won the most seats in the election. According to a Supreme Court ruling, its members were only allowed to run as independent candidates. The opposition saw the move as politically motivated and accused the powerful military of trying to influence the elections in their favor.
Officials speak of election manipulation
The second-placed Muslim League PML-N led by former prime minister and business mogul Nawaz Sharif announced that it would seek a coalition with the Pakistan People’s Party PPP. Other small parties should support the alliance in order to secure the majority in parliament. The nuclear power’s National Assembly is scheduled to meet in the next few weeks to elect the speaker and prime minister. The PML-N surprisingly nominated Shehbaz Sharif, Nawaz Sharif’s younger brother, as prime minister.
A high-ranking official in the city of Rawalpindi announced his resignation, as the newspaper “Dawn” reported. He cited election manipulation in his area of responsibility as the reason. The electoral commission rejected the allegations.
Since Pakistan’s independence over 75 years ago as a result of the partition of British India, there have been repeated unrest and instability in the country. The military ruled for more than half of this time. Even among civilian governments, generals were seen as the force that could determine the success or failure of the political leadership.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
