Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
An opposition parties’ alliance — the Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan (TTAP) — has demanded an independent investigation into the alleged rigging in the February 8, 2024 general elections.
The alliance has also called for an immediate appointment of an impartial chief election commissioner, and the holding of free and fair elections under a new Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The TTAP has also announced that February 8, 2026 will be observed nationwide as a Black Day, marked by a wheel-jam and shutter-down strike across the country.
To organize public outreach and the protest movement, a central committee headed by Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar has been formed, which will establish sub-committees at provincial and district levels.
The announcement was made in a communiqué issued at the conclusion of a two-day National Consultative Conference organized by the TTAP.
According to the statement, representatives of political parties, civil society, lawyers, journalists, and people of various schools of thought from across the country participated in the conference.
The conference held detailed deliberations on the country’s overall political, constitutional, judicial, and economic situation and unanimously concluded that democracy, the Constitution, and the rule of law are facing serious threats.
The communiqué stated that transparent and free elections form the foundation of democracy, but the current system rests on illegitimate grounds and lacks public trust.
Condemning the alleged systematic rigging in the February 8, 2024 elections, the conference demanded identification of those responsible and their punishment in accordance with the law.
Expressing grave concern over the independence of the judiciary, the statement said that judicial autonomy had been undermined through the 26th and 27th constitutional amendments, by using judges’ transfers as a tool of pressure.
The conference termed the cases against PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, as false and politically motivated, and condemned the sentences awarded to them. It described the treatment of Imran Khan’s sisters, the use of chemical water cannons, and arrests as serious violations of human rights.
The conference demanded the immediate release of all political prisoners including Imran Khan.
The conference expressed concern over non-transparent statements regarding possible participation of Pakistan’s armed forces in a Gaza peace force, demanding that the nation be taken into confidence before any such decision, warning that unilateral decisions would be unacceptable.
Discussing the economic situation, the communiqué said political instability has pushed the economy into a severe crisis.
