Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) criticized the February 8 general elections’ integrity on Tuesday, accusing Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja of failing to ensure transparent elections. JI Senator Mushtaq Ahmed called for CEC Raja’s resignation, citing the elections’ lack of transparency during a Senate session in Islamabad.
He argued that the elections produced a fraudulent government and accused the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) of betrayal, suggesting legal action under Article 6 of the constitution due to the misuse of Rs50 billion allocated for the elections. Ahmed advocated for a Supreme Court-level autonomous judicial commission to investigate discrepancies concerning Form 45.
Additionally, Ahmed criticized the suspension of the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), highlighting its negative impact on the economy, education, and public rights. The intermittent downtime of X after a 36-hour blockage underscores concerns over election transparency and censorship, he argued. Ahmed suggested that actions taken against social media platforms and internet service disruptions were indicative of the authorities’ attempts to cover up election rigging.
PTI Senator Waleed Iqbal addressed the non-implementation of laws by returning officers and demanded an ECP explanation for the rigging allegations. He questioned the rationale behind internet shutdowns during the election night, emphasizing that polling concluded during the daytime.
PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui critiqued PTI’s reluctance to collaborate with other parties for government formation, suggesting that the future government would likely be a coalition. He highlighted the inconsistency in PTI’s stance on election results across different regions and reminded them of their previous complaints regarding the 2018 elections and Form 45.
