ISLAMABAD – Former Indian chief election commissioner (CEC) SY Qureshistatement comes as a blow to PMLN and PPP allegations of rigging in theGeneral Elections 2018.
He has dismissed allegations of rigging in the recently-held Pakistangeneral elections.
“The elections in Pakistan in July were free and fair, except forprocedural issues,” Qureshi told the Hindu. He was stationed in Islamabadand Rawalpindi as a member of the Commonwealth Observer Group over thepolls.
The former Indian CEC said that most allegations of rigging in Pakistanwere related to pre-poll activity, and dismissed reports of malpractice onthe day of the election.
“We heard delegations from all major political parties, the media, civilsociety and rights groups to know their views. Almost all of them mentionedabout pre-poll rigging,” he noted.
“The media delegation complained about indirect pressure, but these weremonths ahead of polls. While we were there, we found no-holds-barreddebates, often brutal criticism of the establishment, which never gave theimpression of any censorship,” Qureshi said.
He also said that shifting political loyalties ahead of elections wascommon across many places the world over. He referred to the phenomenon as“horse-trading”.
Qureshi also dispelled rumours regarding the role of security personneldeployed at polling stations around the country, saying the soldiers workedunder electoral authorities. “We found that the army also did not have anyrole in the transmission of results from polling stations, where ballotpapers are counted in Pakistan,” he said.
When asked if the elections were free and fair, Qureshi noted that the Freeand Fair Election Network (FAFEN), an association of 50 NGOs, deployed19,000 observers at nearly 80 per cent polling stations.
“They gave a report stating that the election was absolutely credible andfair. There were lapses, but of procedural nature,” he added.