Police seal home of Pakistani rights activist after NGO’s election fraud report

Pakistani police raided and sealed the Islamabad residence of Sarwar Bari, the National Coordinator of PATTAN Development Organization, late Friday night. The move came weeks after PATTAN Coalition-38 released a report alleging widespread vote-rigging in Pakistan’s 2024 general elections.

The report, titled “War on Voters?”, claimed that the people’s mandate was "brazenly stolen" and called for an independent inquiry. It highlighted discrepancies in election results published by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), alleging result manipulation and voter turnout exceeding 100% in some polling stations.

NGO condemns action as politically motivated

PATTAN condemned the raid, calling it an act of retaliation for exposing election irregularities. In a statement, the NGO said, “Since the launch of our election report, Islamabad police have visited the residence of our National Coordinator twice in two weeks. On February 21, more than a dozen officers, along with two magistrates, searched his home and later sealed it.”

Bari’s wife, Aliya Bano, who was at the residence with her 90-year-old aunt, described the experience as deeply distressing. “It’s unfortunate that we are being thrown out of our home at night. We’ve lived here since 2018, and our tenants and staff are all registered with the local police station,” she told Nukta.

Authorities cited the deregistration of PATTAN in 2019 as the reason for the closure. However, the NGO insists it never received any formal notice of deregistration and continued its work with government approvals.

“The Election Commission even issued accreditation to PATTAN’s election observers. We can provide all records to the media,” the NGO stated. It also highlighted its collaborations with federal and provincial authorities in various projects post-2019.

Authorities defend raid, cite illegal operations

A senior police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, defended the action, saying PATTAN was operating illegally. “We asked them to provide court documents proving their registration, but they failed to do so,” he told Nukta.

An official document seen by Nukta stated that the Ministry of Interior dissolved PATTAN in 2019 and that the organization had not legally contested the decision or obtained a stay order from any court.

The operation was led by a local magistrate and police officers.

Political reactions and PTI’s allegations

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has repeatedly claimed the 2024 elections were rigged through tampered Form-47s, accusing the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of orchestrating the manipulation. The party argues that the current government was installed through a fabricated mandate, leading to ongoing political repression.

Former PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry criticized the crackdown on PATTAN. “Breaking a mirror doesn’t wash away the dirt on your face. The political crisis caused by election rigging and result manipulation cannot be resolved by shutting down PATTAN’s office,” he said.

The incident has raised concerns over press freedom and civil society’s ability to operate in Pakistan, as rights groups face increasing pressure over election-related criticism.