Pakistan elections: ‘Audio leak’ supports Imran Khan’s party’s claims of rigging
Purported audio recordings belonging to key leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) have supported Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) allegations that the February 8 elections were rigged and his electoral… The mandate was usurped.
In these recordings, Sindh Governor Kamran Tesori is reportedly heard expressing concerns over the authenticity of his mandate, saying that it was “100 percent fake”.
Tesori elaborated on the MQM-P’s change of allegiance from PTI to the Pakistan Democratic Alliance in April 2022, a move that was unfavorably received by their voters.
He reminded of the 2018 elections when MQM-P secured seven National Assembly seats in Karachi, thanks to its genuine support base.
The governor can be heard saying, “Today (February 8) we did not get votes.”
In the February 8 election, PTI-backed candidates won 92 National Assembly seats, surpassing the numbers of Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
Despite this, an alliance was formed between PML-N, PPP and other parties, bypassing PTI and its allies.
In the purported audio, Tesori also expressed his grievances regarding the distribution of power, highlighting that the MQM-P was being offered minimal representation in the government.
A report in the newspaper Jang quoted Tesori as saying, “What we are getting now is a ministerial post. They also want to take away the governor’s post and the worst thing is that we have now lost the trust and confidence of our voters. Lost it.”
Another leaked audio with MQM-P senior deputy convenor Mustafa Kamal revealed discussions with the PML-N delegation, indicating pressure from the PPP to marginalize the MQM-P due to the alleged illegality of their mandate. gives.
“We met the PML-N delegation and they told us two things – PPP is saying that the mandate of MQM-P is 100 per cent fake and since PML-N and PPP have the required numbers in Parliament to form the government, MQM-P should be sidelined,” Kamal can be heard saying in the audio.
Kamal confirmed the claims made in the audio clip but dismissed them as allegations repeatedly made by political opponents.
MQM-P won 17 National Assembly seats in Karachi. PTI claimed that MQM-P candidates were not even in third position on all the winning seats.
PTI has alleged that its 90 National Assembly and over 100 Punjab Assembly seats have been stolen by the establishment and distributed among the PMLN, MQM-P and PPP to form “fake governments”.
tune in