Pakistan human rights body says an upcoming election is unlikely to be free and fair
ABC News
Pakistan’s independent human rights commission says there is little chance of free and fair parliamentary elections in the country next month because of “pre-poll rigging.”
ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan’s independent human rights commission said Monday there is little chance of free and fair parliamentary elections in the country next month because of “pre-poll rigging.” It also expressed concern about authorities rejecting the candidacies of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and most other members of his party.
At a news conference in Islamabad, the co-chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Munizae Jahangir, said other political parties have been subjected to similar tactics to varying degrees.
“At this point, there is little evidence to show that the upcoming elections will be free, fair or credible," Jahangir said.
She said Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, was “being dismembered in a systematic manner” and that the rejection of nomination papers for most of its candidates raised questions about the country's Election Commission.
People should be allowed to vote for their candidate of choice on February 8, she added, and there are “apprehensions that the electoral process is being engineered."
