Against bitter history of election-rigging, Pakistan’s latest polls marred by manipulation claims 

Members of the polling staff set up a polling station for the Feb. 8 parliamentary elections, in Karachi on February 7, 2024. (AP)
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Updated 08 February 2024
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Against bitter history of election-rigging, Pakistan’s latest polls marred by manipulation claims 

  • Independent observers and politicians say most elections in the country have been tainted to some degree over the decades
  • Military denies it is against any particular party and caretaker government overseeing elections says it has no favorites for Feb. 8 polls

ISLAMABAD: A former prime minister and arguably the country’s most popular politician is behind bars. His party says it is facing a state-backed crackdown. Multiple electoral nominees backed by him have seen their candidatures rejected by the Election Commission of Pakistan. And another political big-wig, previously imprisoned and until recently in exile, has returned to political activities in the country with what is widely believed to be the backing of the all-powerful military. 
This is the background against which millions of Pakistanis are going out to vote today, Thursday: amid accusations of a widespread military-backed and state-sanctioned crackdown on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has been in jail since August over a raft of charges, including corruption. Hundreds of his supporters, party members and key aides are under arrest or have gone underground or deserted their leader. 
The military, which has for decades held sway over Pakistan’s politics, denies the charges and the caretaker government overseeing the elections says it has no favorites. 
But rigging allegations are nothing new in Pakistan where independent observers and political leaders say most elections have been tainted to some degree across the decades. 
Pakistan, which gained independence from Britain in 1947, held its first general elections on Dec. 2, 1970 with East Pakistani leader Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rehman’s Awami Muslim League (AML) party emerging as the winner. However, military ruler and President Yahya Khan and Sheikh’s main rival Zulfikar Ali Bhutto did not want a party from East Pakistan in the federal government, leading to a delay in the inauguration of the National Assembly. Unrest followed and deteriorated into a civil war that led to the secession of the east wing of the country and the creation of the independent state of Bangladesh in March 1971.
Since then, the results of almost all elections in present-day Pakistan have been questioned by political leaders, while no political party has ever been able to secure two consecutive terms, nor has a prime minister completed a full five-year term in office.
HISTORY OF RIGGING ALLEGATIONS
Pakistan’s second general election in 1977 is believed to have been rigged by Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party while the next one in 1985 was organized under the military rule of Gen Zia-ul-Haq on a nonpartisan basis, with most of the elected MNAs being supporters of the army regime. General elections in 1988 once again came with allegations of rigging against the PPP and Bhutto’s daughter Benazir Bhutto became the first woman elected to head a democratic government in a Muslim-majority country.
General elections in October 1990, a contest between the People’s Democratic Alliance led by the PPP against the conservative nine-party Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) alliance headed by Nawaz Sharif, ended with a surprise victory for the IJI. The Supreme Court of Pakistan would later rule that two army generals — Mirza Aslam Baig and Asad Durrani — along with President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, had provided financial assistance to favored parties, thereby manipulating the vote to deliberately weaken the mandate of the Pakistan Peoples Party. 
Shairif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party says the 1993 election, which saw the PPP emerge victorious and began a second prime ministerial term for Benazir, was rigged in favor of the PPP. A few years later, Benazir alleged that election officials had rigged the 1997 election, in which the PML-N won a landslide victory. The 2002 elections were held under the military rule of General Pervez Musharraf, with several restrictions imposed on the PPP and PML-N parties and both Benazir and Sharif in exile.
The 2008 elections, won by the the PPP, took place against the background of several attacks targeting leftist politicians and political rallies, while Khan and his PTI decried rigging of the 2013 polls and in 2014 organized a nearly four-month long sit-in in the Pakistani capital against what they called the illegal government of the PML-N.
Finally, the last election, in 2018, was marked by widespread allegations of rigging by the military to tilt the vote in favor of Khan, who would be sworn in as prime minister and rule until 2022. The military has denied it interfered in the vote. 
METHODS OF RIGGING
In Pakistan, according to political analyst Ahmed Ejaz, three methods of rigging have been adopted: pre-poll, as well as manipulation on polling day and after voting. Pre-poll rigging, he argued, had been the “most effective method” and would most likely affect the results of the upcoming elections also. 
“The establishment has been [pre]rigging the elections in various ways to make their favored party successful,” he said. 
Methods include allegations of corruption against rivals, forcing candidates to switch parties, creating artificial political alliances, spreading negative propaganda and creating the narrative of good and bad political leaders.
“These rigging methods are used before elections … to bring its favorite political parties to power,” Ejaz added. 
Tahir Malik, an assistant professor of International Politics at the National University of Modern Languages (NUML), attributed the recurring problem of election irregularities to a lack of consensus among stake-holders including civilian politicians, the absence of an independent election commission, and the model of “political exclusion” in which the military establishment created favorable conditions for its favored candidates and parties. 
“That exclusion takes place through the law as well as the process, for instance the [university] graduation condition [for candidates] was introduced [by Musharraf ahead of 2002 elections] and then there were disqualifications [of politicians by the election commission or the courts],” he said.
Election riggings, or accusations of it, overshadow Pakistan’s next election also.
Sarwar Bari, National Coordinator at the not-for profit Pattan Development Organization, said the 2024 election was peculiar in a number of ways and one was the “very transparent” nature of the manipulation and intimidation, referring to the crackdown against the PTI and dozens of legal cases against Khan and three jail sentences of three, ten and fourteen years each in three separate cases. 
“In the past, it used to be very subtle,” he told Arab News. “But this is unprecedented, at this level, so intense and widespread rigging, Pakistan’s establishment has broken its record.”
He cited the example of the election regulator’s move to strip Khan’s PTI of its unifying election symbol of the bat, which not only forced hundreds of its candidates to contest polls as independents each with their own symbol, but will also deprive the party of reserved seats for women and minorities, which are allocated on the basis of the number of general seats won by a party in an election. 
In Pakistan, election symbols appear on ballot papers, with voters able to put a stamp on their symbol of choice. The ballot paper also has names, but over 40 percent of Pakistan’s 241 million population are illiterate, making the pictures extra important for recognition.
With so many different symbols for PTI-backed independent candidates, Bari said, a large number of people, especially women and rural constituents, would not be able to correctly identify their favorite candidate on the ballot paper. Furthermore, he added, what did it say about the fairness of the election when hundreds of PTI candidates were forced underground at the time of the submission of nomination papers in December and as the party’s top leadership remained behind bars, facing hundreds of cases.
“I have been saying that this election is neither free nor fair,” Bari added, “but it is an absolutely transparent election because whatever is happening is happening in the clear light of day.”
RADICAL REFORM
But what is the solution to election manipulation? 
Under Pakistan’s electoral system, people elect a bicameral legislature, with the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, directly elected by the masses, while members of the upper house, the Senate, are chosen by elected provincial legislators.
“I think there is one way of minimizing corrupt practices and that is switching to a proportional representation (PR) system, instead of having this system which Pakistan has,” Pattan’s Bari said, referring to an electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body and all votes cast contribute to the result. 
The system produces a mixed, balanced representation, its proponents say. 
“So, you can introduce the PR system which will eliminate the attraction or incentives to constituency-based politicians to rig elections and that system can also deter to some extent the establishment from interfering because it will become difficult.”
Bari said under the current system, a party could win an election just by one vote.
“In the PR system you can’t win an election by one vote, or by 10 votes or by 200 votes, you can have more seats and the seats will be proportionately distributed according to the popular vote,” Bari explained.
In the last elections in 2018, he said, 48 National Assembly members were elected with less 5,000 votes
“So, 48 is a big number out of 272 [directly contested seats in National Assembly],” he said. “The PR system in my view is likely to eliminate at least a dozen means of rigging and this will also de-incentivize the control of electables because then the seats will be divided in each district according to the proportional votes each party gets.”
Ejaz the analyst recommended reducing the number of constituencies so that candidates had to campaign in entire districts, which would help break their hegemony on the basis of caste and communities that dominate constituencies.
Malik from (NUML) said “independent” institutions were the key to resolving the permanent pattern of rigging and manipulation:
“To ensure free and fair elections, we need independent institutions, an independent election commission, independent judiciary, vibrant media, rule of law, and genuine political parties,” he said, “who will not strike deals with power corridors.”


Pakistan’s national space agency says Ramadan likely to begin from Mar. 2

Updated 25 February 2025
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Pakistan’s national space agency says Ramadan likely to begin from Mar. 2

  • In Pakistan, Ruet-e-Hilal Committee is tasked with sighting moon for new Islamic months
  • Pakistan’s space agency says moon likely to be invisible to the naked eye on Feb. 28

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s national space agency has forecast that the Ramadan moon will be invisible to the naked eye on Feb. 28, state-run media reported, meaning that the South Asian country will mark the beginning of the holy Islamic month from Mar. 2. 
In Pakistan, the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee is tasked with sighting the moon for new Islamic months. Dates for Ramadan and Eid festivals are confirmed by the committee through visual observations and based on testimonies received of the crescent being sighted from several parts of the country. 
The Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) has forecast that due to its low altitude and distance, the crescent will be difficult to sight on Feb. 28. According to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), SUPARCO said the angular distance between the sun and the moon will be 7 degrees on Feb. 28, making the crescent “invisible to the naked eye” that day.
“Based on these observations, the holy month of Ramadan in Pakistan is expected to begin on March 2, 2025,” APP reported on Monday. The report also said that as per SUPARCO’s forecast, the Shawwal moon will be sighted on Mar. 30 in Pakistan, with Eid-ul-Fitr expected to be on Mar. 31.
However, the Pakistani space agency said the crescent may be visible in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 28, making Ramadan likely to start there on Mar. 1, 2025. 
“The final decision on moon sighting rests with the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee,” APP quoted SUPARCO as saying. 
Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, where Muslims abstain from food, drink and sexual activities from sunrise to sunset. This is followed by the sighting of the new moon and is marked by Eid-ul-Fitr, a religious holiday and celebration that is observed by Muslims across the world.


‘Complete overhaul’: what went wrong for Pakistan in Champions Trophy

Updated 25 February 2025
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‘Complete overhaul’: what went wrong for Pakistan in Champions Trophy

  • Pakistan was plagued with injuries to destructive openers Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub 
  • Cricket analysts say Pakistan played cautious and outdated cricket in tournament 

KARACHI: Title-holders and hosts Pakistan crashed out in the group phase of the Champions Trophy after losing to New Zealand and arch-rivals India.
They still have a match to play, against Bangladesh on Thursday, but their tournament is over — a disappointing end to their first hosting of a major international cricket event in three decades.
AFP Sport looks at where it all went wrong for Mohammad Rizwan’s men in the 50-over tournament:

- Uncertain build-up -
Rizwan was appointed white-ball skipper in October last year and led Pakistan to an impressive 2-1 ODI win over world champions Australia — their first series victory in 22 years in the country.
They also won in Zimbabwe and inflicted on South Africa their first home whitewash, with a 3-0 scoreline.
But fast-rising opener Saim Ayub injured his ankle during a subsequent Test in South Africa.
Pakistan delayed the announcement of their Champions Trophy squad until the deadline to wait on Ayub’s fitness but the left-hander failed to recover.
To add to the home team’s woes, fellow opener Fakhar Zaman was ruled out of the rest of the tournament after the first match — a 60-run defeat to New Zealand — with a muscle injury.
Pakistan’s much-vaunted pace attack of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf — rested from the Test series to keep them fresh — looked rusty and failed to control the death overs.

- Poor squad selection -
Pakistan selectors resisted calls from former players and pundits to include a second spinner in the 15-man squad and instead chose only one in Abrar Ahmed.
They relied on part-time spinners Salman Agha and Khushdil Shah, who have managed just one wicket between them in two matches.
Pakistan also erred by not selecting a regular opener and took the risky step of promoting out-of-form Babar Azam to partner Zaman.
When Zaman was ruled out they brought in Imam-ul-Haq as a replacement. He made just 10 as Pakistan were crushed by title favorites India by six wickets.
In a surprise move they included in the squad all-rounders Khushdil and Faheem Ashraf on the basis of their performances in Bangladesh’s Twenty20 league.
Ashraf had not played an ODI for two years and Khushdil for three.
Former Pakistan captain and television pundit Rashid Latif called it a “political selection,” blaming outside influence

- Old-style cricket -
Former Pakistan captain and popular all-rounder Shahid Afridi accused Pakistan of playing outdated cricket.
“In 2025 Pakistan was playing the cricket style of the 1980s and 1990s while other teams had progressed well to adopt an aggressive and modern style,” he told AFP.
“The ailment of playing too many dot balls also hurt our game.”
Pakistan played 152 dot balls against India in scoring 241 in 49.4 overs, including a record 28 balls with no scores in the first six overs.
Their total of 260 in 47.2 overs in the defeat to New Zealand had 162 dot balls.
“The mindset of Pakistan players does not match with modern-day cricket,” said Afridi.
“We need a complete overhaul of the system so that we can produce players with an aggressive mindset.”


Pakistan calls for end to Russia-Ukraine conflict via ‘inclusive’ diplomacy

Updated 25 February 2025
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Pakistan calls for end to Russia-Ukraine conflict via ‘inclusive’ diplomacy

  • UN Security Council holds key session on three-year anniversary of Russia-Ukraine conflict
  • Pakistan abstains from voting on two competing UNGA resolutions on conflict’s third anniversary

ISLAMABAD: On the three-year anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict this week, Pakistan’s mission to the United Nations urged international powers to resolve the crisis through constructive and “inclusive” diplomacy, pointing out the dangers of further military escalation for the region. 

Russia invaded Ukraine three years ago on Feb. 24, 2022, amid protests from Western governments and peace activists worldwide. Thousands have been killed on both sides since the conflict began and rages on, with Washington and other powers calling for an end to the fighting that has dealt setbacks to the global economy and developing countries. 

The UN General Assembly adopted two competing resolutions on the third anniversary of the conflict on Monday, with Pakistan abstaining from voting on both of them. One of the resolutions, backed by the European Union and Ukraine, condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, demanded the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops, and called for a quick end to hostilities and a peaceful resolution to the war. 

“We believe that the conflict in Ukraine could have been averted through dialogue and diplomacy,” Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s alternate permanent representative to the UN, said at a meeting of the Security Council on Monday. “It must be brought to an end now through constructive and inclusive diplomacy.”

He pointed out that the conflict in Ukraine has caused immense loss of life, widespread devastation and human suffering, adding that its consequences transcend borders and impact the region and beyond.

Ahmad said it was unfortunate how the pursuit of peace remains “largely absent and elusive” in this day and age. 

“That is despite the fact that the vast majority of the member states including the developing world have constantly desired and advocated for a peaceful settlement of this conflict thought dialogue and diplomacy,” Ahmad said. 

The ambassador called on international powers to “redouble” their efforts to find a lasting solution to the crisis in accordance with the principles of the UN charter. 

“The pursuit of peace is a collective responsibility that must transcend geopolitical divide,” Ahmad said. “We hope that Council will shoulder its responsibility and unite behind this objective.”

Since Russian forces invaded Ukraine, the balance of power at the United Nations has been clear: the General Assembly, representing all members, has clearly and overwhelmingly supported Ukrainian sovereignty, while the 15-member Security Council has been paralyzed by Russia’s veto power.

Pakistan has moved closer to Russia in recent months, signing trade and investment agreements with Moscow as it seeks to escape a prolonged economic crisis. Islamabad has not criticized Moscow for invading the eastern European country and has consistently called for a peaceful resolution to the dispute. 


Internet shutdowns costing Pakistani businesses ‘hundreds of millions of dollars’ — Jazz CEO

Updated 51 min 42 sec ago
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Internet shutdowns costing Pakistani businesses ‘hundreds of millions of dollars’ — Jazz CEO

  • Pakistan suffered total $1.62 billion losses due to Internet outages and social media shutdowns in 2024, global web monitor says
  • Jazz CEO Aamir Ibrahim urges government to address issue, citing role of IT-enabled infrastructure in propelling businesses in Pakistan

KARACHI: The blockade of social media platforms and intermittent Internet shutdowns in Pakistan were causing losses running into “hundreds of millions of dollars” to the telecommunications sector and others that relied on online connectivity to run businesses, the CEO of Pakistan’s largest telecom company said this month. 

Pakistan suffered a total $1.62 billion losses due to Internet outages and social media shutdowns in 2024, according to a report by global Internet monitor Top10VPN.com, surpassing losses in war-torn countries like Sudan and Myanmar. The report, released on Jan. 2, said Pakistan experienced 9,735 hours of Internet disruptions that affected 82.9 million users last year, with elections and protests cited as the primary causes.

In an interview with Arab News, Aamir Ibrahim, the CEO of Jazz, Pakistan’s leading digital service provider with around 71 million subscribers, said telecommunications had developed into a cross-sector enabler, so when Internet services were interrupted, it was not telcos alone that lost revenue.

“About 70% of the revenue that we generate comes from Internet or data services, so, there is a consequential revenue impact for us as telcos [telecommunication companies] but the real damage actually comes in terms of customer convenience,” Ibrahim told Arab News when asked about the effect of Internet closures.

“So it’s not just that the telcos lose revenue, it’s every other business that relies on the Internet, whether it’s freelancers, whether it is Careem or cab-hailing [services], or whether it is somebody like FoodPanda, or mobile banking, all of them rely on the Internet to be able to offer services to their customers.

“That is the real cost to the economy and that runs in hundreds of millions of dollars with all these Internet shutdowns.”

Aamir Ibrahim, the CEO of Jazz, Pakistan’s largest telecom company, speaks during an interview with Arab News in Karachi on February 14, 2025. (AN photo)

Pakistan, a country of over 240 million, has witnessed up to 40% drop in Internet speeds in the last few months, according to the Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (WISPAP). The speed drop comes amid what activities and opposition parties widely describe as a state-led digital crackdown that has included a ban on X, the imposition of a national firewall and attempts to restrict VPN use. 

The government denies any of the moves are aimed at censorship but rather at protecting national interests and going after terrorists and others who spread misinformation or incite violence online. 

Ibrahim acknowledged that the government had to maintain “a hard balancing act.”

“We have to be cognizant of the fact that there is a lot of fake information, a lot of fake news, things that can be detrimental to the interests of the country and even consumers and citizens and for that, you need a policy framework,” the Jazz CEO said. 

He urged the government to come up with a “mechanism” to tackle “deliberate vilification or other institution-damaging narratives” spread online. 

“So from a digital operator company perspective, we certainly advocate unrestricted Internet but the government has to actually balance it with the security concerns and concerns where information can become detrimental to national causes.”


PM Sharif to visit Uzbekistan today as Pakistan eyes regional trade and transit hub role

Updated 25 February 2025
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PM Sharif to visit Uzbekistan today as Pakistan eyes regional trade and transit hub role

  • Sharif’s visit will focus on strengthening connectivity, bilateral cooperation in trade, energy and defense sectors
  • Pakistan aims to capitalize on its geostrategic location to connect landlocked Central Asia with rest of the world

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is undertaking a two-day visit to Uzbekistan on Feb. 25-26 as Pakistan eyes the role of a key regional transit hub, the foreign office said, adding the visit would also focus on bilateral cooperation in trade, energy and defense sectors.
Pakistan has been working to strengthen its position as a key trade and transit hub, connecting landlocked Central Asian states to the global market through its strategic location, and last year saw a surge in visits, investment discussions and economic activity between Pakistan and Central Asian nations.
Sharif’s visit to Uzbekistan follows his tour of Azerbaijan, during which both countries signed multiple agreements to enhance cooperation in the trade, energy, tourism and education sectors.
Sharif is visiting Uzbekistan at the invitation of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and both countries are expected to sign a number of bilateral agreements during the visit, according to Pakistan’s foreign office.
“Prime Minister of Pakistan and President of Uzbekistan, during the bilateral meeting, would discuss all areas of bilateral cooperation including connectivity, economic, trade, investment, energy, defense and security, regional stability, and education,” the Pakistani foreign office said.
“The leaders would also exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.”
During the visit, Sharif would also address the Pakistan-Uzbekistan Business Forum.
“Leading businessmen from both sides will participate in the Business Forum and hold B2B (business-to-business) meetings to further enhance bilateral trade,” the foreign office said.
Uzbekistan is the largest consumer market and second biggest economy in Central Asia. It is the first Central Asian country with which Pakistan has signed a bilateral Transit Trade Agreement (UPTTA) and bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) on 17 items, according to the Pakistani foreign office.
In February 2023, Pakistan and Uzbekistan signed a $1 billion deal to boost bilateral trade at a meeting in Tashkent, aiming to promote the exchange of goods and services. Last month, Uzbek Ambassador to Pakistan Alisher Tukhtaev also announced plans to launch direct flights from Uzbekistan to the southern Pakistani city of Karachi.
“The Prime Minister’s visit underscores Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthen its ties with Uzbekistan, through fostering greater economic collaboration and exploring new avenues of partnership, as part of the strategic vision for regional integration and economic prosperity,” the foreign office added.