Supporters of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party block Peshawar to Islambad highway as they protest against the alleged skewing in Pakistan's national election results, in Peshawar on February 12, 2024.
AFP/File
On the first anniversary of Pakistan’s 2024 general elections, rights group PATTAN Coalition-38 released a report alleging widespread vote-rigging and manipulation. The report, titled “War on Voters?”, claims the people’s mandate was "brazenly stolen" and calls for an independent inquiry.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has repeatedly alleged that the 2024 general elections were heavily rigged, with the public mandate manipulated through the tampering of Form-47.
The party claims that the current PML-N-led government was installed through a fabricated mandate, leading to a year of political repression. PTI’s founding chairman, Imran Khan, along with party leaders and workers, faced sustained persecution throughout the year.
The group’s findings highlight irregularities in election results published by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). “The ECP kept changing result forms on its website until September 2024 and missed multiple legal deadlines,” the report states.
It also notes a lack of disaggregated voter turnout data, raising concerns about possible fraud. “Turnout at some polling stations exceeded 100%, which is statistically impossible,” PATTAN alleged, adding that discrepancies were particularly evident in Punjab and Karachi.
A supporter of jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), reacts as he along with others attend a rally demanding his release in Swabi, Pakistan November 9, 2024.
Reuters
The report further claims that over five dozen reserved seats for women and minorities remain vacant, despite a Supreme Court order. “This distorts constitutional parity among provinces and undermines legislative legitimacy,” PATTAN stated.
The watchdog accused authorities of suppressing dissent through legal and administrative measures. “New laws, like the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act and the 26th Constitutional Amendment, have been used to shield electoral fraud,” it said.
Call for reforms
PATTAN urged the formation of an inquiry commission to investigate alleged election fraud. It also called on human rights groups and the UN to press Pakistan’s government to fill reserved seats and ensure electoral fairness.
“The scale of manipulation demands reducing human involvement in vote counting and adopting digital systems for transparency,” the group recommended.
PATTAN also proposed shifting from the current First-Past-The-Post system to proportional representation, arguing that the existing model strengthens political dynasties rather than reflecting voter intent.
The coalition announced that a second volume of its report, detailing constituency-level audits, will be released soon.
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