Presence of forces inside polling booths will 'cast shadow' on free, fair & transparent elections: Senator Raza Rabbani 

PPP Senator Raza Rabbani said on Wednesday that the presence of security forces within the premises of polling stations would “cast a shadow on free, fair, and transparent elections.” This statement follows the caretaker federal cabinet’s approval the previous day to deploy troops and civil armed forces personnel at polling stations and sensitive constituencies during the upcoming general elections on February 8. The security forces should be under the control and supervision of returning officers (ROs) and district returning officers (DROs), Rabbani was quoted as saying by Dawn.com. “Whereas the deployment of security forces is necessary for ensuring peace on election day, it is equally important that the security forces be beyond the precincts of the polling stations,” he was quoted as saying by The Dawn. Recently, Pakistan’s independent human rights commission said that there is little chance of free and fair parliamentary elections in the country next month because of “pre-poll rigging.” It also expressed concern about authorities rejecting the candidacies of former PM Imran Khan and members of his party. Pakistan’s former PM Imran Khan is currently in prison and serving a three-year sentence for corruption. He also faces a stack of other charges, making it difficult for him to run for office. Despite knowing his nomination papers could be rejected, Khan through his legal team sought to run for a seat in the National Assembly. According to election officials, Khan was barred from running because of his conviction. His disqualification was a fresh blow for the 71-year-old former cricketer, who is the country’s most popular opposition figure. He was ousted from office in April 2022 following a no-confidence vote in Parliament by his political opponents. With inputs from agencies.