US should reconsider approach towards Pakistan due to rigged elections, support for terror groups: Report
As the US strengthens its relationship with Pakistan, a new report is raising red flags about the country’s democracy. It claims the Pakistani military once again manipulated national elections, and the US should pause and rethink its partnership. The report points to rigged votes, support for terrorist groups, deep-rooted corruption, and ongoing attacks on ethnic and religious minorities as major concerns.
The spotlight falls on Pakistan’s February elections, where international observers, news outlets, and global watchdogs accused the military of widespread fraud. According to a PJ Media article by journalist Uzay Bulut, the results boosted the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) over Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. A local election commissioner in Rawalpindi even confessed to flipping 13 losing candidates into winners, dragging in the head of the Election Commission and the nation’s top judge.
In the end, independent candidates—93 of them backed by PTI—took 103 seats. PMLN grabbed 75, and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) secured 54. PMLN and PPP teamed up to form a coalition government, keeping the military’s preferred leadership in place. Bulut writes that this outcome ignored the clear voter preference for Khan’s PTI, even though the former prime minister remains behind bars.
Adding to the controversy, the Commonwealth of Nations—an international group that monitors elections—sent a 13-member observer team to Pakistan. They issued a positive public statement right after the vote, but their internal report slammed the government for violating basic rights like freedom of assembly, association, and expression. Shockingly, the Commonwealth quietly shelved that critical report.
Election rigging isn’t new in Pakistan. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan labeled the 2018 polls as the “dirtiest and most micromanaged” in history. Back in 2013, violence, bombings, and state interference led groups like Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) to boycott the process entirely.
Corruption runs deep across Pakistan’s government and military ranks. The country has long faced accusations of quietly aiding groups like the Taliban. Tensions with the US spiked in 2011 when Osama bin Laden turned up hiding in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Today, radical Islamic outfits thrive there, often teaming up with political players as allies.
With US-Pakistan relations in the mix, this report urges Washington to demand real democratic reforms before deepening ties.
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