Thousands Take Streets of Pakistan to Protest Alleged ‘Election Rigging’
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Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), the political party of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, held massive protests over the weekend to denounce “rigging in the general election” held last week.
Voting in the nationwide elections concluded on Thursday, after which both Khan and his chief rival Nawaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League (PMLN) declared victory. A court order effectively removed Khan’s PTI party from ballots, but PTI supported a number of candidates running as “independents.”
Allegations of vote-rigging began swirling even before the polls closed. As the votes were counted on Friday, it became clear that PTI had pulled off an upset victory despite the opposition of the powerful military establishment, which usually plays kingmaker even when it does not simply dispense with elections and seize control in a coup.
The Pakistani military establishment openly despised Khan and PTI, who have accused the military of conspiring with foreign powers to boot Khan from office with an April 2022 no-confidence vote.
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