The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has voiced apprehensions regarding the integrity and dependability of the general elections conducted on February 8, with particular emphasis on the post-election proceedings.
In its report on Saturday, the HRCP highlighted delays in the declaration of results by returning officers as a major issue despite the polling phase being noted for its transparency and tranquillity. Election personnel exhibited preparedness and maintained procedural integrity, including verifying empty ballot boxes, verifying ballot papers, and protecting voting secrecy.
Nevertheless, the post-election phase did not meet expectations for transparency and efficiency. Observations indicated that in 20% of the polling stations, election officials failed to appropriately display the vote count or transmit results to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the returning officers, leading to discrepancies between announced and observed counts.
Additionally, there were instances where election candidates, their agents, and independent observers were not permitted to attend the preliminary result consolidation, raising concerns over procedural fairness.
The HRCP has called for an independent audit of the elections, supervised by a parliamentary committee, and advocated for the non-involvement of security and intelligence agencies in the electoral process. The commission also stresses the importance of uninterrupted communication services on election day and argues for a parliamentary review of the caretaker government arrangement.
The ECP is urged to disclose all relevant electoral forms following the Elections Act 2017 and to consider recount requests in tightly contested races, particularly where the margin of victory is narrower than the count of rejected ballots.
The report elaborates on the compromised election integrity due to the ECP’s inadequacies, undue influences from beyond the democratic framework, and dubious decisions by the interim government, all documented by the HRCP in the lead-up to the election.
 report voices serious concerns about the reliability and execution of the general elections held on February 8, particularly focusing on the post-election procedures and recommending measures for improvement.){kind=link}