'Honor public will, respect mandate,' jailed ex-Premier Khan says on Pakistan poll outcome

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistan's jailed ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan has termed the Feb. 8 general elections "mother of all rigging" and demanded that "the real mandate and will of the public should be honored."

In a message through her sister Aleema Khan, who met him at Adiala jail in the northeastern garrison city of Rawalpindi on Tuesday, Khan said that the services of social media platform X have been disrupted in the country to “hide the real results.”

The social media platform X has remained restricted in Pakistan since Saturday night. The country's telecommunication regulator has offered no reason for the restriction.

Speaking to reporters outside Adiala jail, Aleema quoted his brother as saying that the public’s mandate was “stolen” in the aftermath of the Feb. 8 elections, marred by violence and rigging allegations. The election commission has rejected the charges.

As no party secured a simple majority in the elections, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) are struggling to reach a consensus over the formation of a new government for a five-year term. However, the near-complete talks hit a snag after the PPP said it would vote for PML-N's candidate for the prime minister's office but would not join his Cabinet.

The PML-N has named ex-Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as its candidate for the coveted post for a second term.

Although PTI-backed independents have emerged as the largest parliamentary group, they are well short of required seats to form the government with a simple majority.