ISLAMABAD: On Monday, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar defended the postponement of election results, citing disruptions in mobile services due to security threats, which hindered the collection of votes.
During a press briefing following the elections, Kakar, whose government was appointed to oversee the country until the elected administration assumes office, emphasized that while they could tolerate delays, they couldn’t compromise on security threats. He clarified that delay shouldn’t be equated with rigging.
Various political parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), criticized the delay in election results, alleging it was indicative of rigging.
Despite more than three days passing, complete election results are still pending, with one constituency’s votes yet to be counted. PTI and JI have conducted nationwide elections, with warnings of further protests.
Kakar referred to delays in election results in Sweden and Indonesia, questioning whether those polls were also rigged. He highlighted the logistical challenges in a country with 240 million people and 92,000 polling stations, explaining that such processes naturally take time.
The Prime Minister informed journalists that in 2018, it took 66 hours to complete the result-gathering process, whereas in 2024, it was done in 36 hours, though still beyond the official deadline set by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which was around nine hours.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)
