ISLAMABAD: The United States said on Tuesday evening Washington had repeatedly conveyed to Pakistan that the will of the Pakistani people needed to be respected and a transparent election process ensured in the South Asian nation of 241 million, after national polls last week that were marred by allegations of rigging and manipulation.
An inconclusive election on Feb. 8 forced the two largest parties to join forces to form a coalition in a parliament dominated by independents backed by loyalists of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The vote was marred by a mobile Internet shutdown on election day and unusually delayed results, leading to accusations that it was rigged and drawing concern from rights groups and foreign governments. Several political parties and candidates have held protests against the results and Khan’s PTI party has challenged many of the results in court.
“We are proud to stand with like minded democracies, as we consistently convey clearly, both publicly and privately, to the Pakistani government and across the Pakistani political spectrum the need to respect the will of the Pakistani people and ensure a transparent election process,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said when asked about the “upset outcome where a majority of the seats in [Pakistani] Parliament are independent.”
“It is critical, and it is obviously important.”
The conditions to form a coalition government do not bode well for a stable or strong administration in the world’s second-largest Muslim country, analysts have widely warned.
However, the alliance between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan People’s Party as well as other allied parties has ended uncertainty over government formation for now, five days after the vote gave a split verdict and sparked worries of fresh instability.
Independent candidates backed by jailed former premier Imran Khan have won 92 seats, making them the largest group, but they cannot form a government on their own, having run as individuals and not a party, and have ruled out alliances with PML-N or PPP.
Khan is himself in jail and was barred from running in the election.
