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NEW DELHI: Terming the 2018 general elections as a “dark chapter” in Pakistan’s history, former premier Nawaz Sharif‘s party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), on Tuesday expressed concerns regarding the electoral history of Pakistan.
“In 2018, Nawaz Sharif was behind bars, he was not allowed to participate in the election. Was it fair back then? and there was no outcry at that time!”, PML-N senator Irfan Siddiqui said in the upper house of Parliament.
Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the PML-N and a prominent figure in Pakistani politics, was disqualified from holding public office in 2017 and sentenced to 10 years in prison by an accountability court. As a result, he was unable to contest the general elections.
Addressing the Senate, Siddiqui acknowledged that Pakistan’s electoral history has been marred by imperfections for several decades.
He highlighted the fact that no democratically elected government has been able to complete its tenure, adding, “history of our elections is not exactly the best. But why are we not talking about the 2018 polls?”
“Whatever happened in the 2018 general elections is a dark chapter in the history of our country. A lot happened back then and maybe the same happened this year as well,” he said.
“And if the same happened again, then it took place across the country and not just in Punjab or Balochistan. It happened in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well,” he added.
In the 2018 general elections, Imran Khan’s party emerged as the largest party and formed the government with the support of other parties, while the PML-N suffered defeat.
Siddiqui argued that the allegations raised by the ruling party today were reminiscent of the injustices the PML-N faced in 2018. “If you suffered from it, so did we,” he said.
Questioning the ruling party’s reluctance to engage in dialogue with other parties, Irfan said, “It isn’t fair to say that no rigging took place where you won and vice versa,” recalling that all of the allegations leveled by the PTI today were comparable to the “injustices” the PML-N suffered in 2018.
The general elections saw independent candidates, largely supported by Imran Khan’s party, win 93 seats in the National Assembly. The PML-N secured 75 seats, while the Pakistan Peoples Party came in third with 54 seats. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan has also agreed to support them with their 17 seats.
“In 2018, Nawaz Sharif was behind bars, he was not allowed to participate in the election. Was it fair back then? and there was no outcry at that time!”, PML-N senator Irfan Siddiqui said in the upper house of Parliament.
Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the PML-N and a prominent figure in Pakistani politics, was disqualified from holding public office in 2017 and sentenced to 10 years in prison by an accountability court. As a result, he was unable to contest the general elections.
Addressing the Senate, Siddiqui acknowledged that Pakistan’s electoral history has been marred by imperfections for several decades.
He highlighted the fact that no democratically elected government has been able to complete its tenure, adding, “history of our elections is not exactly the best. But why are we not talking about the 2018 polls?”
“Whatever happened in the 2018 general elections is a dark chapter in the history of our country. A lot happened back then and maybe the same happened this year as well,” he said.
“And if the same happened again, then it took place across the country and not just in Punjab or Balochistan. It happened in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well,” he added.
In the 2018 general elections, Imran Khan’s party emerged as the largest party and formed the government with the support of other parties, while the PML-N suffered defeat.
Siddiqui argued that the allegations raised by the ruling party today were reminiscent of the injustices the PML-N faced in 2018. “If you suffered from it, so did we,” he said.
Questioning the ruling party’s reluctance to engage in dialogue with other parties, Irfan said, “It isn’t fair to say that no rigging took place where you won and vice versa,” recalling that all of the allegations leveled by the PTI today were comparable to the “injustices” the PML-N suffered in 2018.
The general elections saw independent candidates, largely supported by Imran Khan’s party, win 93 seats in the National Assembly. The PML-N secured 75 seats, while the Pakistan Peoples Party came in third with 54 seats. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan has also agreed to support them with their 17 seats.
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