Karachi, The Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) has issued a statement urging for the respect of the public mandate following the recent elections, amid concerns over delays in the announcement of results. The party’s Karachi Chief Organizer, Tariq Chandiwala, highlighted the importance of adhering to the people’s decision, warning against the imposition of leadership through force and criticizing the delay in election results as either a failure of planning or an indication of alternate motives.
According to Pasban Democratic Party, Tariq Chandiwala emphasized that the younger generation’s choice should be honored to avoid chaos in the country. He pointed out the discrepancy between the Election Commissioner’s promise for timely results by 10 pm and the actual delay, raising questions about the integrity of the election process. Chandiwala also accused major political parties, specifically the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), of being rejected by the voters and attempting to undermine genuine leadership in Karachi.
The statement from the PDP’s Press Information Cell stressed the necessity of safeguarding the election process against rigging, advocating for the vigilant monitoring of polling through party agents and ensuring the acquisition of Form 45 from all polling stations to guarantee a fair count. Chandiwala elucidated that rigging could take various forms, including the manipulation of the pre-poll environment, restrictions on campaigning, and intimidation of voters, which he described as tactics to skew the electoral outcome in favor of certain parties.
The call to respect the public mandate comes at a crucial time when the credibility of the electoral process and the political stability of Karachi, and by extension Pakistan, hang in the balance. The PDP stands firm in its commitment to supporting the democratic choice of the new generation and calls for immediate action to rectify the issues plaguing the election process.