Gen Asim Munir backed ex-premier Nawaz Sharif’s plea to his rivals to help form a coalition government after the general elections appear to have produced a hung Parliament…reports Asian Lite News
Pakistan’s powerful army chief Gen Asim Munir urged the country’s polarised political leadership to form a “unified government of all democratic forces”, as he backed ex-premier Nawaz Sharif’s plea to his rivals to help form a coalition government after the general elections appear to have produced a hung Parliament.
Efforts to form a unity government gained momentum after the three-time former prime minister Sharif, who seems to enjoy the backing of the Pakistan Army, on Friday appealed to other political parties to join hands to pull cash-strapped Pakistan out of its current difficulties.
Springing a surprise, independents backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party won the lion’s share of 100 seats in the National Assembly in Thursday’s election. Khan’s party has already claimed victory in the elections. The group was followed by Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with 73 seats, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) with 54, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) with 17 and 11 other seats going to smaller parties, as the result of 255 seats out of 265 was announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan.
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To form a government, a party must win 133 seats out of 265 in the National Assembly. Election to one seat was postponed after the death of a candidate. Overall, 169 seats are needed to secure a simple majority out of its total 336 seats, which include the reserved slots for women and minorities. Votes are still being counted after the general election which was marred by allegations of rigging, sporadic violence and a countrywide mobile phone shutdown.
On Saturday, a statement attributed to Gen Munir said, “Pakistan’s diverse polity and pluralism will be well-represented by a unified government of all democratic forces imbibed with national purpose.”. He said that elections and democracy are means to serve the people of Pakistan and not end in themselves. The powerful Pakistan Army, which has ruled coup-prone Pakistan for more than half of its 75-plus years of existence, has hitherto wielded considerable power in matters of security and foreign policy.
The powerful Pakistan Army, which has ruled coup-prone Pakistan for more than half of its 75-plus years of existence, has hitherto wielded considerable power in matters of security and foreign policy. The nation needs stable hands and a healing touch to move on from the politics of anarchy and polarisation which does not suit a progressive country of 250 million people.
Elections are not a zero-sum competition of winning and losing but an exercise to determine the mandate of the people, it said. The army chief noted that the people of Pakistan reposed their combined trust in the Constitution of Pakistan and it was now incumbent upon all political parties to reciprocate the same with political maturity and unity. Meanwhile, Khan, 71, in an AI-generated audio-video message on Saturday claimed victory in the general elections. He thanked the people for voting.
US, UK, EU urge probe as both Sharif, Imran claim win
With both former Pakistan prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan claiming victory in the countrywide elections, the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union on Friday separately expressed concerns about the electoral process and urged an investigated into the reported irregularities.
Elections were held for 265 seats in the national assembly and a party needs 133 seats for a simple majority. Referring to the allegations of interference, irregularities and fraud, the US and the EU both stated that these should be fully investigated. Khan is in jail and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has been barred from the polls. Independents, majority of whom are backed by Khan, had won 98 of the 245 counted seats, while Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party had won 69 seats.
The EU statement noted a “lack of a level playing field”, attributing that to “the inability of some political actors to contest the elections” and to restrictions to freedom of assembly, freedom of expression and internet access.
The US State Department said there were “undue restrictions” on freedoms of expressions and assembly while noting violence and attacks on mediapersons. Democratic US Representatives Ro Khanna and Ilhan Omar also expressed concerns, with Khanna claiming “the military is interfering and rigging the result”.
British foreign minister David Cameron’s statement noted “serious concerns raised about the fairness and lack of inclusivity of the elections”.
The EU, the US and Britain said they would work with the next government and did not congratulate any candidate or party.
Khan was disqualified as a candidate and sentenced to prison over multiple legal cases. He has denied any wrongdoing. Khan’s PTI won the general election in 2018, but he was ousted in 2022 after falling out with the military. He has been in jail since August, and was convicted in the leadup to the polls for 10, 14 and seven years in cases related to state secrets, graft and an unlawful marriage.
Sharif, 74, a three-time former PM, returned from four years of self-imposed exile in the UK late last year.
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