Pakistan Polls 2024: Two killed, 20 injured after violence erupted as rigging allegations mount

In the first confirmed fatalities over a fractious election count, two people were killed Friday in a confrontation between police and supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan. Sporadic PTI protests have broken out amid claims the delay is allowing authorities to rig the vote counting against them. Police official Sahibzada Sajjad Ahmed, from the Shangla district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said PTI protesters “started pelting stones at the police and set fire to a police vehicle”. “Due to the intense stone pelting by PTI workers, two protesters were hit by stones and lost their lives,” he told AFP. Several leaders of the PTI claimed that the party’s actual tally of seats was significantly greater than reported, fueling accusations of widespread rigging as the vote-counting process faced delays. Demonstrations erupted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, with reports alleging violent responses from the police. In Lahore, supporters of the PTI also took to the streets in protest against the election outcome, according to media reports. Hundreds of people hit the streets in some areas amidst allegations of vote rigging in the general elections held on Thursday. In a violent clashes with army and police, two people killed and 20 others injured in northwestern Pakistan. The demonstration was over the party being “usurped” and “the police resorted to firing on peaceful protesters, resulting in the loss of lives of two of our workers”, claimed PTI candidate Syed Fareen. A delayed count is underway after Pakistan’s election on Thursday, with candidates backed by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) faring better than expected despite a crackdown targeting the party. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif today called for a unity government as cash-strapped Pakistan appeared to be heading towards a hung parliament, with independent candidates backed by jailed ex-premier Imran Khan’s party springing a surprise by winning 92 out of the 224 seats for which results were declared so far. Addressing the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supporters at the party’s central secretariat in Lahore, 74-year-old Sharif said his party respects the mandate of all parties, including the independent candidates backed by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. According to the latest Election Commission data, results of 224 constituencies out of 265 were declared. Independent candidates (mostly supported by PTI) bagged 92 seats while PML-N got 63 and PPP 50. Smaller parties secured 19 seats. To form a government, a party must win 133 seats out of 265 in the National Assembly. Election to one seat was postponed after the death of a candidate. Overall, 169 seats are needed to secure a simple majority out of its total 336 seats, which include the reserved slots for women and minorities. Votes are still being counted after Thursday’s general election which was marred by allegations of rigging, sporadic violence and a countrywide mobile phone shutdown. The ECP started updating results at a faster pace after facing a barrage of criticism by the parties, especially the PTI which accused that its mandate was being stolen. Khan, 71, a cricketer-turned-politician and the founding chairman of the PTI, is behind bars and barred from contesting. PTI candidates are running as independents after they were not allowed to use the party symbol - a cricket ‘bat’. The polling ended at 5 pm on Thursday but the first official result was announced 10 hours later at 3 am on Friday, irking many about the delay and giving fuel to the rumour mills to indulge speculation of foul play to manipulate the outcome. PTI claimed that it won the elections while alleging that results were being delayed to rig the outcome. PML-N leader Ishaq Dar earlier said that the independent candidates, who are emerging victorious in the 2024 general elections, are in contact with the party. “The independents have contacted us and they will join any party in the next 72 hours as per the Constitution,” said the former finance minister. The caretaker Interior Ministry has said that it had reviewed the media and the public’s concerns about the late processing of the results and attributed it to “lack of communication, which was the outcome of mobile services suspension taken to ensure a peaceful election process.” The long delay in the announcement of results by the ECP created a lot of confusion. With inputs from agencies.