Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged Pakistani authorities to ensure a peaceful transition of power following the recent parliamentary elections. In doing so, HRW encouraged all political parties to uphold democratic norms and cooperate with an independent investigation into alleged election irregularities.
The organization stated that the national parliamentary elections which took place on February 8 were marred by authorities’ widespread violations of the freedoms of expression and association. HRW specifically pointed out the mass detention and harassment of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party supporters as a serious concern. Following a ruling by the Supreme Court in January, PTI was effectively prohibited from running its candidates in the elections, leading to previous concerns raised by the UN over such harassment.
HRW also has concerns over the delay in announcing the election results by the Election Commission. This stimulated global controversy, with some candidates claiming the delays indicated electoral irregularities. The US State Department also voiced similar concerns and called for a full investigation due to the allegations.
In light of one of its worst economic crises, HRW emphasized on the human rights challenges Pakistan is currently facing, stating the need for a legitimate government to address these challenges. They also called for the removal of structural barriers to political participation and safeguarding against election interference.
Despite attempts to remove PTI from the ballot and their association with former Prime Minister Imran Khan, PTI-aligned politicians won 92 seats, more than any other party, in the parliamentary elections. The results came as a surprise for many, however, being independent candidates resulted in a split vote and no party achieved a majority.
Meanwhile, the Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), which was largely expected to win, has reached an agreement with the other majority party, Pakistan People’s Party, to form a coalition government. Imran Khan announced from prison that PTI would not join either party to form a coalition.