The United States House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly voted in favor of an impartial probe into the claims of election manipulation in Pakistan following the February 8 national polls.
The US house voted 368-7 over a resolution calling for “full and independent investigation of claims of interference or irregularities in Pakistan’s February 2024 election.”
“The resolution also supports free and fair elections in Pakistan, elections that represent the will of the people of Pakistan. Unfortunately Pakistan’s most recent election that took place in February was not carried out that credible election observers considered free and fair”, the red out by Dan Kildee in the house of representatives says.
It condemned “attempts to suppress the people of Pakistan’s participation in their democracy, including through harassment, intimidation, violence, arbitrary detention, restrictions on access to the Internet and telecommunications, or any violation of their human, civil, or political rights.”
The House Resolution 901 said it was to express support for democracy and human rights in Pakistan.
It urged the government to uphold democratic and electoral institutions, human rights, and the rule of law, asking it to respect the fundamental guarantees of due process, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and speech of the people of Pakistan.
It also condemned “any effort to subvert the political, electoral, or judicial processes of Pakistan.”
Commenting on the development, Michael Kugelman, Director of South Asia Institute at The Wilson Center in Washington, said the margin of vote was significant.
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“85 percent of House members voted on it, and 98 percent voted in favor of the resolution,” he noted in a social media post. “This is quite significant.”
On the other hand, international media also disclosed that PTI lauded US House for urging probe into irregularities in Pakistan elections, saying that the Supreme Court of Pakistan is the only institution that can give justice to the PTI.
What really stands out for me is the margin of the vote, and the number of Members that voted. 85% of House members voted on it, and 98% voted in favor of the resolution. This is quite significant.
— Michael Kugelman (@MichaelKugelman) June 26, 2024
