Imran Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and a former prime minister, is scheduled to submit a letter to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regarding the purported election cheating on February 8th, according to party officials.
Following their meeting with Imran Khan, PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and party leader Senator Ali Zafar spoke to reporters outside Adiala Jail and reaffirmed Khan’s intention to send the letter to the IMF today.
“IMF, European Union have their own mandate, and good governance is the merit of IMF,” Zafar said, highlighting the need of good governance. He continued by asserting that international organizations avoid doing business with nations that do not uphold democratic norms.
“Everyone saw that Pakistan had stolen the people’s vote,” Zafar said, emphasizing that “thievery cannot be the foundation of democracy.” He clarified, “When lending institutions see that there is no democracy, they do not give loans.”
Zafar explained their plan in detail, saying, “Our letter will be addressed to the IMF, and if the IMF desires discussion, an audit of election rigging must precede any dialogue.” He emphasized, “Where rigging is proven, rectification must occur before IMF engagement.”
“Our agreement with the IMF is contingent upon an audit against rigging,” Zafar further emphasized. “We have urged the IMF to ensure free and fair elections in Pakistan.”
The event occurred a few days after global credit rating company Fitch issued a warning that attempts to obtain an IMF funding arrangement may become more difficult due to the close result of the general elections on February 8 and the ensuing short-term political unrest.
In its analysis on Pakistan’s economy, the credit rating agency stated, “This looks set to be a coalition of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Peoples Party, despite the strong performance by candidates associated with Imran Khan’s PTI in the elections.”
Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, the party chairman, issued a warning on Tuesday, stating that Pakistan’s chances of receiving an IMF program could be harmed if election results are not made public under Form-45s.
We demand the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja in order to establish accountability and rebuild public confidence in the voting process. According to the public mandate, the accurate results must be made public,” Gohar said.
