Rigging allegations trigger conflict in Balochistan's post-election scenario
Feb 15, 2024
Balochistan [Pakistan], February 15 : In Balochistan, political, nationalist, and religious parties continue their protests against alleged election rigging, including delayed announcements of winners and changing of results, as reported by The Balochistan Post
The protests, jointly organized by the Balochistan National Party Mengal (BNP-Mengal), the National Party (NP), the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), and the Hazara Democratic Party (HDP), have led to blockades on key highways, disrupting both goods and people's movements.
According to The Balochistan Post, these protests erupted following the February 8 general elections, where many former cabinet members and assembly representatives lost their seats.
Opposition parties and candidates accuse Pakistani military and intelligence agencies of favoring specific candidates, disregarding public mandates. They also claimed that the Pakistani forces were "bribed" into rigging elections in favor of some candidates via fake votes.
The results saw mainstream Pakistani parties like the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) secure victories overnight, as per The Balochistan Post.
Meanwhile, Balochistan's nationalist parties attribute the unexpected outcomes to election tampering by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), allegedly supported by Pakistan's military establishment.
The Election Commission of Pakistan's results show the PPP and JUI-F securing 11 seats each, while the PML-N gathered 8 seats, with other parties and independents winning one or two seats each.
Election day in Balochistan witnessed chaos, marked by polling station irregularities, delayed voting, absenteeism of ECP personnel, and local populace protests.
Furthermore, armed groups also carried out several attacks on polling stations and other election-related activities, leading to the suspension or premature end of voting in several areas.
The electoral turnout in Balochistan was significantly low compared to all the previous elections, as several hundred thousand potential voters did not cast their votes due to personal preference, security threats, and urging from Baloch "pro-independence" and non-political nationalist circles.
