Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
An opposition party alliance – Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan (TTAP) – has demanded an independent inquiry into the alleged fraud in the February 8, 2024 general election.
The alliance has also called for the immediate appointment of an impartial Chief Election Commissioner and the holding of free and fair elections under a new Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
TTAP has also announced that February 8, 2026 will be observed nationally as a black day, marked by a wheel stoppage and shutdown 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 the provincial and district levels.
The announcement was made in a communique issued at the end of a two-day national advisory conference organized by TTAP.
According to the statement, representatives of political parties, civil society, lawyers, journalists and people from various directions from all over the country participated in the conference.
The conference held detailed discussions on the country’s overall political, constitutional, judicial and economic situation and unanimously concluded that democracy, the constitution and the rule of law face serious threats.
The communique stated that transparent and free elections form the basis of democracy, but the current system rests on illegitimate foundations and lacks public trust.
The conference condemned the alleged systematic fraud in the February 8, 2024 elections and demanded the identification of those responsible and their punishment in accordance with the law.
The statement expressed serious concern over the independence of the judiciary, saying that judicial autonomy had been undermined through the 26th and 27th constitutional amendments, using judicial 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 about the possible participation of Pakistani armed forces in a peacekeeping force in Gaza and demanded that the nation be taken into confidence before such a decision, warning that unilateral decisions would be unacceptable.
Discussing the economic situation, the communique said political instability has pushed the economy into a serious crisis.
