UN head adds voice to calls for Pakistan to look into allegations relating to polls

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has joined the growing list of nations requesting that Pakistan follow legal channels to address the issues surrounding the election that took place last week.

The UN chief urged Pakistani authorities and political figures to avoid taking actions that might inflame tensions and to use established legal channels to settle the concerns surrounding last week’s election. The call was made in a statement released on Monday.

Allegations of election tampering and anomalies plagued the February 8 polls, following an unusually long wait for the results and the suspension of mobile services on election day.

Protests against purported election cheating in favor of the opposition candidates are being staged periodically around the nation by a number of political groups, principally Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

With 92 seats, independent candidates from the Imran Khan-led PTI lead, followed by the PML-N (79) and PPP (53).

The UN head also asked Pakistan to keep a “calm atmosphere” in the nation in a statement.

In response to a question at the regular noon briefing in New York, Stephane Dujarric, the secretary-general’s spokesperson, stated, “The secretary-general is monitoring the situation in Pakistan and calls for the resolving of all issues and disputes through the established legal frameworks, and for human rights and the rule of law to be fully respected in the interest of the people of Pakistan.”

“The secretary-general urges the authorities and political leaders to maintain a calm atmosphere, and to reject and refrain from all forms of violence and avoid any actions that could increase or inflame tensions.”

The US, UK, and EU are among the other nations that have urged Pakistan to look into the allegations of election fraud.

The allegations of fraud and meddling that have been made are something we want to make sure Pakistan’s justice system looks at in great detail. At a routine news briefing on Monday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, “We will continue to monitor that in the days ahead.”

In response to requests for a probe, acting prime minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar denied that Pakistan will look into claims of election tampering on February 8th, regardless of demand.

Kakar was questioned about the UK and US demands that the results be delayed and claims of rigging looked into during a news conference on Monday at the PM House.

The acting prime minister enquired as to whether Pakistan had requested that the US look into the Capitol Hill disturbances. He went on, “Pakistan is a sovereign state and will not yield to any pressure.”

He saw that assumptions and judgments made by people in other nations and worldwide forums are based on disjointed information found on social media.

“If there are any allegations, we will investigate them in accordance with our own laws and without regard to requests from other nations,” he declared.