NEW DELHI: Pakistani opposition leaders have praised India’s handling of the recent Lok Sabha elections and urged their country to learn from its “enemy”.
“Pakistan should learn from India,” Syed Shibli Faraz, a lawmaker from Imran Khan’s PTI party, said at a government meeting. “Why can’t we hold free and fair elections?” the Pakistani leader asked, praising India for smoothly conducting the month-long polls through EVMs without any allegations of vote rigging.
Faraz also accused his country of constantly fighting this “battle of legitimacy.” “This has completely hollowed out our political system,” he added in his speech.
Pakistan’s 12th general election, held on February 8, has been the subject of controversy, with several party leaders alleging fraud. The PTI emerged as the largest party in the election but fell short of a majority and has also accused the election of being rigged. Imran Khan, the party’s now-imprisoned leader and former prime minister, claimed last month that February’s election was stolen from the party, describing it as “the biggest robbery of the people’s confidence.” Speaking to the Supreme Court via video link from Rawalpindi’s Adiyala Prison, Khan said, “The February 8 election was the biggest robbery of the people’s confidence.”
Maulana Fazalul Rehman, head of Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), claimed that the 2024 elections were more rigged than the 2018 elections.
This is not the first time that Pakistani politicians have praised India. Last month, a video of MP Mustafa Kamal praising India’s economy and education system went viral. Faraz’s words echo Kamal’s sentiments as he stressed that Pakistan needs to learn from India. “The situation in Karachi right now is that while the world is going to the moon, in Karachi children are falling into ditches and dying. On the same screen, you see the news that India has landed on the moon and just two seconds later you see the news of a child dying in an open ditch in Karachi,” Kamal said.
(Provided by agency)
“Pakistan should learn from India,” Syed Shibli Faraz, a lawmaker from Imran Khan’s PTI party, said at a government meeting. “Why can’t we hold free and fair elections?” the Pakistani leader asked, praising India for smoothly conducting the month-long polls through EVMs without any allegations of vote rigging.
Faraz also accused his country of constantly fighting this “battle of legitimacy.” “This has completely hollowed out our political system,” he added in his speech.
Pakistan’s 12th general election, held on February 8, has been the subject of controversy, with several party leaders alleging fraud. The PTI emerged as the largest party in the election but fell short of a majority and has also accused the election of being rigged. Imran Khan, the party’s now-imprisoned leader and former prime minister, claimed last month that February’s election was stolen from the party, describing it as “the biggest robbery of the people’s confidence.” Speaking to the Supreme Court via video link from Rawalpindi’s Adiyala Prison, Khan said, “The February 8 election was the biggest robbery of the people’s confidence.”
Maulana Fazalul Rehman, head of Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), claimed that the 2024 elections were more rigged than the 2018 elections.
This is not the first time that Pakistani politicians have praised India. Last month, a video of MP Mustafa Kamal praising India’s economy and education system went viral. Faraz’s words echo Kamal’s sentiments as he stressed that Pakistan needs to learn from India. “The situation in Karachi right now is that while the world is going to the moon, in Karachi children are falling into ditches and dying. On the same screen, you see the news that India has landed on the moon and just two seconds later you see the news of a child dying in an open ditch in Karachi,” Kamal said.
(Provided by agency)
