Phone services were prohibited when Pakistan‘s general election campaign got underway because candidates and political parties were worried about attempts to rig the outcome.
Concerns over security have led to the suspension of phone and mobile internet services, according to the interim administration.
Thirty people died on Wednesday as a result of two bombs that targeted polling places in the unstable Balochistan area. The attacks were attributed to the Islamic State.
Pakistan must “take measures to safeguard against threats” due to the “deteriorating security situation,” according to the interior ministry.
With almost 128 million voters registered, this is the greatest voter registration campaign in the history of the country.
Election day saw 650,000 security forces across Pakistan, mainly in terrorist-stricken Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Read More
An explosion in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan division in Kulachi killed four police personnel on Thursday. Radicals opened fire on a security forces vehicle 25 kilometers north of Tank, killing one.
Political parties and aspiring politicians criticized the mobile service ban, claiming that it would call into question the legitimacy of a free and fair election and reduce accountability for choices made at polling places.
Pakistan’s three-time prime minister is Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N). A number of candidates and people have expressed concerns that Sharif might be reinstated through manipulation of the election results.
It is believed that Sharif has benefited from the strong military of Pakistan, which is seen as the country’s power broker and has been accused of rigging past elections.
Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar stated on X as an independent running for office in Islamabad that “election day rigging begins with shutting down mobile networks on polling day.”
One of the worst pre-election atmospheres in Pakistani history. It is unethical to keep candidates from their workers and representatives on election day. How can one monitor and report abnormalities? Election theft occurred before the news broke.
Although there had not been a similar disruption of phone service, analysts pointed out that similar security threats had existed during the elections in 2013 and 2018.
The political party of Imran Khan, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, also described the suspension of cellphone service as “pre-poll rigging, plain and simple” (PTI).
Read More
Pakistan’s most popular politician is Khan, who has been imprisoned since August and cannot run for office. Khan alleged that his three sentences last week—three that would have imprisoned him for over a decade—were political.
A prolonged PTI crackdown in the days before the election reduced their candidate count. For a healthy democracy, the UN human rights commissioner encouraged authorities to “preserve fundamental freedoms.”
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority pledged that internet connectivity would not be interrupted on election day in response to demands made by PTI and other organizations on election eve that connections remain open.
A prior order from the high court required the administration to make sure the internet was available on election day.
Voters can email the PTI’s WhatsApp contact if they come across any suspicious activity or proof of electoral fraud.
According to the PTI, “It’s a cowardly move by those in power to manipulate the election outcome by cutting off the means of communication and information flow.” “This is not governance; this is tyranny under a mask of democracy.”
The party denied any involvement in the election and denied rumors that circulated on Wednesday night.
Because they thought the military, not the people, would determine the election’s outcome, many voters felt irate and frustrated.
Designer and studio owner Hammad Hamid, who lives in Lahore, said, “I am not looking forward to the election because everyone knows the outcome is already known.” Nawaz Sharif’s release will occur after that of Imran Khan. “We live under a military dictatorship.”
Share this content:
