ISLAMIC CITY:
By a huge margin, the US Congress has voted to demand a “full and independent investigation of claims of interference or irregularities” in the Pakistani elections that took place at the beginning of this year.
A huge 368 votes, against 7 votes, were needed to pass US House resolution 901 on Tuesday. That’s 85% of all US members in Congress.
Additionally, it spoke out against “attempts to stop the people of Pakistan from participating in their democracy, such as by intimidating, harassing, or violently detaining them, limiting their access to the internet and phone calls, or any other violation of their human, civil, or political rights.”
Pakistan held general elections on February 8. Most of the seats were won by independent candidates backed by Imran Khan, who used to be prime minister.
The Pakistan Muslim League (N) and the Pakistan People’s Party, on the other hand, worked together to keep Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf from taking power. Khan, who has been in jail since August, says that the polls were rigged. The polls were run by a caretaker government, which denied the claims.
On election day, the government shut down the internet while the results were being tallied, which led to widespread claims of cheating.
The politicians from the US also spoke out against any “effort to subvert the political, electoral, or judicial processes of Pakistan.”
The motion asked the President and the Secretary of State to work more closely with the Pakistani government to protect democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
It told the Pakistani government to protect democracy and electoral institutions, human rights, and the rule of law. It also told them to honor the basic rights of the people of Pakistan to due process, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom of speech.
The resolution also spoke out against what it called “attempts to suppress the people of Pakistan’s participation in their democracy,” such as by harassing, intimidating, or violently detaining them, limiting their access to the internet and phone calls, or any other violation of their human, civil, or political rights.
It also spoke out against any attempt to mess with Pakistan’s political, electoral, or judicial systems. It also called for a full and independent probe into claims of interference or mistakes in Pakistan’s election in February 2024.
Some people think that these kinds of resolutions don’t have to be followed, so it doesn’t mean that the Biden government will change how it deals with Pakistan.
The US government has also in the past asked for separate investigations into the claimed election fraud but also said it was ready to work with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government.
