Saturday brought with it more allegations of foul play in the run-up to the July 25 general elections. While addressing the upper house of Parliament, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) stalwart Raza Rabbani flayed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) over what he called “criminal silence” over numerous irregularities leading up to the polls. He specifically questioned what role soldiers who had been posted inside polling stations would play.
On the same day, Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui also made startling allegations against the premier intelligence agency saying personnel from the intelligence agency had approached the IHC chief justice to ensure that Pakistan Muslim League — Nawaz (PML-N) Leader Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz remained incarcerated during the elections. This past Wednesday, Justice Siddiqui had also stated that judges’ phones are tapped in Pakistan and their lives are not safe.
These allegations, combined with reportedly increasing pressure on journalists and media houses who do not toe the line, does give the impression that the judiciary and security agencies may be acting outside their constitutional bounds.
All of this puts many question marks on the upcoming general elections; and this is not good for the future of the country. That the security personnel have been given magisterial powers at polling booths on July 25 is yet another blight on what is being termed as one of the most controversial elections ever held in this country. *
Published in Daily Times, July 22nd 2018.
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