A new report shines a light on how the Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) handled Pakistan’s February 2024 elections, with critics calling it a clear case of covering up electoral fraud. The group, meant to watch over elections and promote democracy among mostly former British colonies, ended up protecting a government accused of rigging the vote.
The story starts with Patricia Scotland, the former Commonwealth Secretary General. She led the team that observed Pakistan’s chaotic February 8 elections, where irregularities piled up and tilted results against supporters of ousted leader Imran Khan. Sources close to the matter told the Washington-based Drop Site news outlet that Scotland faced huge pressure from member countries, Pakistani media, and even her own team to release a damning COG report before stepping down in March.
But after a private chat with a high-ranking Pakistani official—who warned that going public could spark national chaos—Scotland backed off. She reportedly has strong personal links to Pakistan’s current Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, and she decided to dump the hot potato on her successor instead.
Enter Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the new Secretary General. In a late August meeting at London’s Marlborough House, she straight-up told Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar that she had no plans to release the report or highlight how it could embarrass the government. Now, Botchwey owns the mess fully, the report says.
This all ties back to the messy ouster of Imran Khan in 2022 through a no-confidence vote backed by the military. Khan had clashed hard with the army, the US, and the European Union over his sharp critiques of American foreign policy in the region and his stance on the Ukraine conflict. He refused to toe their line, and it cost him.
Fast forward to today, and Pakistan’s democracy hits rock bottom, according to the report. The military tightens its hold through brutal tactics against opposition parties—like arrests, forced disappearances, torture, and even threats abroad. These moves keep power in check while opposition voices, especially Khan’s, get silenced amid claims of widespread election rigging in 2024.
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