Imran's party PTI says Pak general elections set new record of rigging

Islamabad, New Delhi, Feb 16:  Despite having the largest number of successful candidates in the February 8 general elections, the Imran Khan-founded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday disapproved of the poll results, saying "records of rigging were set" in the electoral process, a media report said.

PTI spokesperson Raoof Hassan said that the 2024 elections would be remembered in the country's history due to the scale of rigging, Geo News reported.

The statement came during a press conference in Islamabad on Friday, where a large number of PTI-backed Independent candidates had come claiming to be possessing Form 45 that showed them as victors.

Pakistan staged the biggest election in its history on February 8, which was extraordinary in various aspects. However, the outcome of the polls did not turn out to be as expected by the political actors as none of them got a simple majority.

While the PTI-affiliated Independent candidates dominated the election results, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) claimed to have enough numbers to form the government as some Independents joined the Nawaz Sharif-led party post elections.

However, maintaining its stance of having the majority, the PTI also alleged that the polls were "not free and fair". The party plans to stage countrywide 'peaceful' protests against the alleged rigging, Geo News reported.