Pakistan again rejects criticism against election process

ISLAMABAD: Despite criticism continuing from overseas over the ‘manner’ Elections 2024 were held in Pakistan and the aftermath, Pakistan once again on Thursday shrugged aside this criticism and said that the election process in the country was an internal sovereign affair of Pakistan.

“Pakistan is a democracy. People of Pakistan have voted in 10s of millions and there were unprecedented number of women and young voters who participated in this exercise. We have also welcomed foreign observers, including the Commonwealth Observer Group, and in that context, Pakistan has shown its willingness to hold transparency in the election process. The Election Commission of Pakistan is the relevant body that will comment and respond to any queries regarding the election process and any complaints that any individual in Pakistan have on the electoral process. As far as foreign governments are concerned, our view is clear that Pakistan undertakes its constitutional obligations seriously. It is the right of the people of Pakistan to enjoy freedoms and democracy and any steps that Pakistan takes in this regard is in conformity with our own constitutional obligations and not because there is some advice coming from abroad,” said the spokesperson at the weekly media briefing at the Foreign Office.

She pointed to her earlier statement in which commentary from foreign governments was made even before the completion of the electoral process. “While we value constructive advice from our friends, we believe making negative statements even before the completion of electoral process is neither constructive nor objective. Pakistan is a democratic country. It is proud of the freedom of expression guaranteed under our Constitution. And in that context, we respect the statements by Pakistanis on our democratic process. It is part of our democratic process that Pakistanis wherever they are, they speak about Pakistan›s political process. We do not, therefore, have any comments with regards to Pakistanis making comments about our own political system,” she added.

When asked about other critical reports, the spokesperson responded that she had seen the interim report of the Commonwealth group, that report has spoken about the transparency of the process and participatory nature of the process, and it has highlighted how the Government of Pakistan facilitated the inclusion of millions of new voters in the electoral lists. “So, I am not aware of the report of any observer where the Pakistan›s electoral process has been criticised. There are some media reports which are critical and we do not comment on media reports. Pakistani nationals and Pakistani political parties have every right to comment on Pakistan›s political process. However, on this Ministry of Foreign Affairs has no comment to offer,” she said.

When asked about the UN concerns on activities of Al-Qaeda and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and how Al-Qaeda gives training to the TTP, she responded that Pakistan has said that it is concerned about the rise of terrorist entities in the region and the terrorist threat that Pakistan continues to face from terrorist entities, which have hideouts and sanctuaries inside Afghanistan. “Many aspects of this (UN) report mentioned corroborate what Pakistan has said in the past. We have called on the Afghan authorities to take immediate and effective action against these terrorist groups and individuals so that they do not threaten Pakistan’s security,” she said.

As eight Indian former Indian naval officers return home from Qatar after a pardon in a treason case, the FO spokesperson, when asked, said that she had seen media reports on the latest development in this case but did not want to comment on bilateral issues between the two countries. “However, as we have said in the past, this case is a clear manifestation of India›s network of espionage and extraterritorial killings, which has gone beyond South Asia and now extends to the Middle East and beyond. We have also seen that in the past, India has been responsible for extraterritorial killings inside Pakistan which has remained a target of India›s state sponsored terrorism, espionage, and extraterritorial and extrajudicial killings. For us, it was no surprise that the case revolved around Indian nationals who were retired naval officers because in Pakistan too, a few years ago, we arrested a high-ranking Indian naval officer who was involved in espionage. These activities are a clear demonstration that India is behaving recklessly and irresponsibly, in clear violation of international law”, she said.

In response to a query regarding third countries from where Indian agents are involved in extraterritorial and extrajudicial killings inside Pakistan, the spokesperson said that Pakistan is in contact with those countries. “With regards to our relationship with India, it is no secret that we have had a difficult relationship over the last several decades. Pakistan has always said that we would like to have peace with all our neighbours, including India. However, we have seen especially in recent years that India has an approach of belligerence towards Pakistan,” she said.