A Pakistani politician who emerged victorious in last week’s contentious national elections has opted to relinquish his seat, asserting that the vote was manipulated in his favor.
Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman, representing the Jamaat-e-Islami party, has been declared the winner of the provincial assembly seat PS-129 in Karachi. However, he stated this week that the candidate supported by Imran Khan’s PTI party received significantly more votes, and their count was underrepresented.
In a press conference held by his party on Monday, Mr. Rehman stated, “If anyone wants to make us win illegitimately, we will not be accepting that.” He emphasized the importance of respecting public opinion and allowing the true winner to prevail, without any undue advantages.
Mr. Rehman claimed to have received over 26,000 votes, while the independent candidate Saif Bari, backed by the PTI, allegedly garnered 31,000 votes, which were reportedly reduced to 11,000 votes.
The Pakistani electoral authorities have denied these allegations, and it remains uncertain who will now occupy the PS-129 seat.
This incident adds to the turmoil surrounding Pakistan’s recent elections, which have been marred by accusations of widespread vote fraud and interference, particularly affecting candidates affiliated with Khan.
Imran Khan, the former prime minister, has been incarcerated since last August, and his party was disqualified from the ballot, forcing PTI candidates to run as independents. Despite these challenges, voters across the country turned out in large numbers to support his cause.
Independent candidates, many linked to the PTI, secured 93 of the 265 National Assembly seats contested, the largest share of any single party. However, the PTI claims these candidates should have garnered even more seats and votes, alleging multiple instances of vote rigging.
Khan’s rival parties, the PML-N led by Nawaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s PPP, announced earlier this week that they had reached an agreement to form a government. The PML-N won 75 seats, while the PPP secured 54 seats in last week’s vote. Both parties, along with smaller allies like the MQM, are set to form a coalition government.
Additionally, parties will be allocated more seats from the 70 reserved for women and non-Muslims, which are not available to independent candidates. This will easily enable them to surpass the 169-seat threshold needed to form a government.
The PML-N and PPP were previously part of a coalition that ousted Khan from power in 2022. Mr. Sharif’s brother Shehbaz is expected to be presented as the likely next leader of Pakistan, as he took over as prime minister at that time.
Khan was removed as prime minister through a parliamentary vote of no confidence, after which he faced several criminal charges. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison on various charges a week before the election, with multiple sentences to be served concurrently. Khan has maintained that these legal cases against him were fabricated as part of a broader political vendetta, a claim denied by Pakistan’s caretaker government.
