Thirty-one US congresspeople have signed a letter calling on President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to delay recognition of the newly elected Pakistani authorities till allegations of election fraud are investigated.
The letter, sponsored by Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) and Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.) urged the Biden Administration to “wait till a radical, clear, and credible investigation has been performed earlier than recognizing a brand new Pakistani authorities.”
Casar advised the American information web site The Intercept that Pakistan’s authorities should be shaped based mostly on the desire of the folks. “For the sake of democracy and all Pakistanis, we’re calling on the Biden Administration to withhold recognition of a brand new authorities till an investigation determines the election was not rigged,” he mentioned.
The letter explains the context of Pakistan’s current elections, together with former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s imprisonment since January 2024 on prices of corruption. Members of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) occasion, which had polled as the preferred occasion within the nation, had been compelled to run as independents and had been harassed and arrested by authorities main as much as the election.
The congresspeople described corruption each earlier than and after the election itself, noting within the letter that Pakistani authorities suspended mobile and web companies on the day of the election as a method of suppressing the vote.
“Pakistan is a long-standing ally of america, and we acknowledge the significance of our relationship for regional stability and counterterrorism efforts. It’s within the US curiosity to make sure that democracy thrives in Pakistan and that election outcomes mirror the pursuits of the Pakistani folks, not the pursuits of the Pakistani elite and navy. We stay up for working with you to point out Pakistanis that the US stands with them of their combat for democracy and human rights,” they wrote.
Islamabad has not formally commented on the letter.
Swearing in ceremony
On Thursday, the Nationwide Meeting of Pakistan swore in newly elected lawmakers as PTI members continued their protests in opposition to alleged election rigging.
In response to media studies, PTI lawmakers yelled “Vote thief!” as former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his brother Nawaz Sharif entered the decrease home of parliament.
Interim PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan, who serves within the Nationwide Meeting, advised The Media Line that the occasion intends to proceed protesting inside and out of doors the meeting, together with in a nationwide peaceable protest on Saturday.
“Our mandate has been stolen,” he mentioned.
PTI claims that the authorities rigged the election outcomes to maintain it from taking the bulk.
The meeting will formally elect the following prime minister on March 3. Regardless of the resilient efficiency of impartial candidates backed by Imran Khan, an alliance of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Get together (PML-N) and the Pakistan Individuals’s Get together (PPP) will probably take the premiership.
Below the power-sharing method, former Prime Minister Sharif of PML-N would function prime minister, and in the course of the subsequent elections, PML-N would assist PPP’s Asif Ali Zardari.
The potential authorities could be a “blended pickle” coalition, much like the Pakistan Democratic Motion that got here to energy in April 2022 after ousting Khan.
That coalition authorities sharply raised fuel and electrical energy costs, sparking nationwide protests.
Fitch Scores, a US-based credit standing company, lately expressed its considerations that the political unrest would make it troublesome for Pakistan to achieve a brand new help take care of the Worldwide Financial Fund (IMF), resulting in doubtlessly deleterious financial results. Pakistan’s present IMF help deal is ready to run out in March 2024.
“A brand new deal is vital to the nation’s credit score profile, and we assume one will likely be achieved inside a number of months, however an prolonged negotiation or failure to safe it might improve exterior liquidity stress and lift the likelihood of default,” the Fitch report learn.
In a press convention on Wednesday with senior PTI management, PTI Chair Gohar Ali Khan mentioned that former Prime Minister Imran Khan had written a letter to the IMF concerning the present scenario.
“The letter has nothing to do with the IMF’s present program for Pakistan, however it’s associated to a brand new take care of the federal government shaped via ballot rigging,” Gohar Ali Khan mentioned.
PTI Secretary Common Omar Ayub Khan mentioned in the course of the press convention that Khan had agreed to the IMF program in June 2023 on the situation that free and honest elections happen in Pakistan.
“Simply to remind the IMF of its dedication to ensure free and honest elections, Khan has drafted this letter,” he mentioned.
Azeem Khalid, an assistant professor of worldwide relations at COMSATS College Islamabad, advised The Media Line that rising scrutiny from the worldwide neighborhood underscores the necessity for an neutral investigation into the allegations.
“Whereas america wields appreciable affect on the worldwide stage, its potential to pressure Pakistan’s highly effective institution to revive what’s perceived as a stolen public mandate is restricted,” he mentioned, noting that Pakistan has traditionally maintained a fancy relationship with the US.
“Diplomatic efforts might deal with encouraging transparency, accountability, and respect for democratic rules, however any direct intervention in Pakistan’s home affairs would probably be met with resistance,” Khalid mentioned.
Rachel Avraham, an Israel-based Center East analyst, advised The Media Line that the US should condemn the alleged election rigging as a method of
selling worldwide democracy and respecting the desire of the Pakistani folks.
“Imran Khan’s reputation is the best it has ever been in Pakistan, in addition to globally,” she famous.
“If one considers the Pakistani political panorama, he’s essentially the most enlightened politician,” she mentioned. “He enjoys the democratic assist of his folks and due to this fact, the US ought to assist him by not recognizing a authorities that received by way of election fraud.”
