lectoral processes in Pakistan have often been controversial on account of delayed results, allegations of pre-poll rigging, accusations of manipulating results and invisible interventions. However, the 2024 elections have proven the most controversial. All parties, including the parties that have won the most seats or done better than the 2018 elections, are complaining of rigging. Resultantly, almost all groups are in a protest mode.
This is the first election in which independents have won the most seats in the National Assembly. However, they are unable to form a government due to technical reasons. Defection clauses do not apply to independents; therefore, the PTI is looking for another party’s platform to sit in the parliament and to keep its strength intact.
The controversy regarding the results in the 2024 elections sets these apart from the previous elections. In 2018, all political parties - including the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Pakistan Peoples Party, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and the Awami National Party - except the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had declared the election to have been massively engineered by the Election Commission of Pakistan and the establishment. However, they agreed to sit in the parliament for the sake of democracy. The ultimate loser in the 2018 elections was the PML-N, which could not secure........