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In an opinion piece for The Economist, former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was arrested in August 2023, has warned that “Pakistan’s election could be a farce
The article, which was published on January 4, talks about the nation’s economic problems as well as the general elections that are scheduled for February 8.
The way the army, security services, and civil bureaucracy have treated Khan and his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), since the contentious vote of no confidence in April 2022, he claims, shows that the establishment is not going to give PTI a fair chance to compete, whether or not the elections go forward.
“Today Pakistan is being ruled by caretaker governments at both the federal level and provincial level. These administrations are constitutionally illegal because elections were not held within 90 days of parliamentary assemblies being dissolved,” the former prime minister wrote from prison.
Founding Chairman PTI and Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan’s article for The Economist on the upcoming Pakistan Elections. https://t.co/VSyguFfsK9 pic.twitter.com/CXs41NTryw
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 4, 2024
Scheduled for next month, the elections have raised concerns from human rights watchdogs in Pakistan regarding the perceived lack of a level playing field for certain political parties in the lead-up to the polls.
He further criticises the tainted actions of the country’s Election Commission, alleging bias against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
“Not only has it [the Election Commission] defied the top court but it has also rejected my Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party’s nominations for first-choice candidates, hindered the party’s internal elections and launched contempt cases against me and other PTI leaders for simply criticising the commission,” he wrote.
“Whether elections happen or not, the manner in which I and my party have been targeted since a farcical vote of no confidence in April 2022 has made one thing clear: the establishment – the army, security agencies and the civil bureaucracy – is not prepared to provide any playing field at all, let alone a level one, for PTI.”
He mentioned the alleged American interference attempt through a State Department official’s message.
“In March 2022, an official from America’s State Department met Pakistan’s then ambassador in Washington, D.C. After that meeting, the ambassador sent a cipher message to my government. I later saw the message, via the then foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and it was subsequently read out in cabinet.”
