Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar. PHOTO: ARCHIVE
ISLAMABAD:
An alliance of opposition parties, the Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan (TTAP), demanded an independent probe into the alleged fraud in the February 8, 2024 general elections.
The alliance has also called for the immediate appointment of an impartial chief election commissioner and holding of free and fair elections under a new Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The TTAP has also announced that February 8, 2026 will be celebrated nationwide as a Black Day, marked by a nationwide wheel jam and lockout strike.
To organize public outreach and protest movement, a central committee headed by Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar has been formed, which will set up sub-committees at the provincial and district levels.
The announcement was made in a statement issued at the conclusion of a two-day National Consultative Conference organized by the TTAP.
According to the statement, representatives of political parties, civil society, lawyers, journalists and people from various schools of thought from across the country participated in the conference.
The conference held detailed deliberations on the overall political, constitutional, judicial and economic situation in the country and unanimously concluded that democracy, the Constitution and the rule of law face serious threats.
The statement stated that transparent and free elections are the basis of democracy, but the current system is based on illegitimate grounds and lacks public trust.
Condemning the alleged systematic fraud in the February 8, 2024 elections, the conference demanded the identification of those responsible and their punishment in accordance with the law.
Expressing serious concern about the independence of the judiciary, the statement said that judicial autonomy had been undermined by the 26th and 27th constitutional amendments, by using transfers of judges as a pressure tool.
The conference termed the cases against PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi as false and politically motivated and condemned the sentences imposed on them. He described the treatment of Imran Khan’s sisters, the use of chemical water cannons and the arrests as serious violations of human rights.
The conference demanded the immediate release of all political prisoners, including Imran Khan.
The conference expressed concern over opaque statements regarding the possible participation of Pakistan’s armed forces in a peacekeeping force in Gaza, demanding that confidence be taken in the nation before any such decision, warning that unilateral decisions would be unacceptable.
Referring to the economic situation, the statement said that political instability has pushed the economy into a serious crisis.
