Pakistani premier warns against pressuring civil servants amid allegations of poll rigging

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Pakistan’s caretaker prime minister warned Monday of firm action against those involved in blackmailing and pressuring civil servants as political parties continued to protest against alleged rigging in the Feb. 8 national elections.

“Some elements with proven track records of violent behavior and vigilantism are now using different tricks, including the weaponization of social media, in blackmailing and pressurizing civil servants to switch their loyalties from the State of Pakistan to the violent gang," Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said in a statement.

“The State of Pakistan shall defend the civil servants in discharging their constitutional duties, act against these violent trolls and ensure exemplary punishment to them. There should be no doubt about our commitment to these noble civil servants serving the State and the people of Pakistan,” he added.

Kakar’s remarks came days after a senior bureaucrat resigned from his post, accusing the country’s election authority and top judiciary of being involved in vote-rigging.

The government and the Election Commission of Pakistan rejected the accusation and formed a high-level committee to investigate the charges.

Liaquat Ali Chattha, who tendered his resignation as commissioner of the northeastern garrison city of Rawalpindi last week, was reportedly set to retire next month.

Following the move, many social media users, mainly belonging to former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, have called on other bureaucrats to “come forward and speak out” against alleged rigging and irregularities.

Kakar said the people of Pakistan spoke with a clear voice on Feb. 8 and have given a split mandate.

The crucial Feb. 8 elections, marred by violence and rigging charges, have resulted in a hung parliament with no party securing two thirds of the seats to form a government with a simple majority, triggering an intense race to stitch together coalitions.

According to the latest tally announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led coalition, which includes the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and several regional parties, has a combined strength of over 150 out of 266 directly contested seats of the National Assembly.

To form a government with a simple majority, a party requires 134 direct seats, which can be counted as 169 members of parliament (MPs) after allocating members to reserved seats for women and religious minorities.

The PML-N, PPP and Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM) got 75, 54 and 17 seats respectively in last week’s elections. Six independent lawmakers have also joined the PML-N, increasing its strength to 81.

Although independent candidates backed by Khan’s PTI won 93 seats, the highest number of MPs, the party is far from reaching a simple majority.