By Zulfiqar Ahmad
Copyright brecorder
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the Commonwealth over its prolonged silence regarding Pakistan’s disputed February 2024 general elections, following the leak of a long-delayed observation report that appears to validate core allegations of electoral manipulation.
Speaking at a press conference, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, flanked by Majlis-e-Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, questioned the Commonwealth’s 19-month delay in releasing its final findings.
He accused the organisation of compromising its own credibility as a neutral observer.
“It was only after the report surfaced in the media that the Commonwealth broke its silence and promised to release it ‘soon’,” Raja said.
“This delay raises fundamental questions about transparency and whether the Commonwealth has acted as an impartial witness – or as a complicit bystander.”
Raja read excerpts from the leaked document, which he claims confirms extensive tampering across dozens of constituencies.
He cited discrepancies between copies of Form 45 – official vote tallies handed to polling agents – and the versions uploaded by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
According to Raja, mismatches were found in at least 90 to 95 constituencies.
In what he described as a “systemic pattern of fraud,” Raja alleged that vote counts were altered without changing the total number of ballots – a statistical anomaly he argued was evidence of deliberate rigging. “Form 45 was changed in every constituency,” he claimed.
A section of the leaked report, titled “Irregular Voter Turnout”, reportedly flags suspicious spikes in voter participation across numerous districts, suggesting artificial inflation of turnout figures.
The document also notes instances where votes were recorded for National Assembly candidates, but not for the corresponding provincial races – a red flag commonly associated with ballot tampering.
Beyond the technical irregularities, Raja linked the allegedly manipulated vote to what he called an “illegitimate regime” whose legislative agenda – including the contentious 26th Constitutional Amendment – has systematically undermined judicial independence.
He claimed that the ultimate goal was to consolidate power in the hands of a party that won just 17 seats, yet emerged as the ruling force.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
