Pakistan hits back at criticism of election conduct and insists cellphone curbs were necessary

Sign up for the View from Westminster electronic mail for professional evaluation straight to your inbox

Get our free View from Westminster electronic mail

Pakistan on Saturday hit back at criticism over the conduct of its parliamentary elections, which were held amid sporadic militant assaults and an unprecedented stoppage of all cell phone companies.

The strongly worded response from the Foreign Ministry insisted the vote was peaceable and profitable.

The U.S. State Department mentioned that Thursday’s vote was held below undue restrictions on freedoms of expression, affiliation and peaceable meeting. The European Union has additionally mentioned it regrets the dearth of a degree taking part in discipline as a result of lack of ability of some political actors to contest the elections.

The ministry mentioned it was stunned by “the negative tone of some of these statements, which neither take into account the complexity of the electoral process, nor acknowledge the free and enthusiastic exercise of the right to vote by tens of millions of Pakistanis”.

It said such statements “ignore the undeniable fact that Pakistan has held general elections, peacefully and successfully, while dealing with serious security threats resulting primarily from foreign sponsored terrorism.”

It mentioned there was no nationwide web shutdown and “solely cell companies were suspended for the day to keep away from terrorist incidents on polling day.”

In Thursday’s vote, no political party gained a simple majority and independent candidates backed by imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan took a lead in the vote count.

It forced Khan’s main rival, three-time premier Nawaz Sharif, to announce plans to attempt to kind a coalition authorities. Khan was disqualified from operating as a result of of legal convictions.

Candidates backed by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf social gathering gained 100 out of the 266 seats up for grabs within the National Assembly. Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League social gathering captured 71 seats.

Also Saturday, the chief of a political social gathering was wounded and two law enforcement officials killed in a conflict within the nation’s northwest.

The violence broke out in North Waziristan when Mohsin Dawar and his supporters tried to march towards a military facility whereas protesting delays in asserting the election end result, police official Zahid Khan mentioned.