ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Fawad Chaudhry has declared his decision to boycott the upcoming elections, citing concerns for his workers and expressing doubts about the fairness of the electoral process.
Writing from prison, Chaudhry asserted that there is no purpose in participating in elections if the outcomes are perceived to be predetermined.
Chaudhry highlighted the rejection of his nomination papers without apparent justification, mentioning that while his brother’s papers were approved, he was later implicated as a co-accused in a corruption case by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
He criticized the Election Commission for its alleged failure to fulfill its duties, leading his group to declare a complete boycott of the elections under these circumstances.
The former federal minister, writing from prison, expressed that the 2024 elections are being held in direct violation of this fundamental requirement of the constitution. He criticized the Election Commission for not conducting elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, initially undermining the constitution. Subsequently, he alleged that the election process was manipulated after the country faced economic turmoil.
Referring to a famous Punjabi saying, he said that the purpose of elections is to give people the right to choose, and if there is no choice in the polls, what is the point?
Chaudhry further detailed his attempts to contest elections from jail, noting that his nomination papers were rejected based on an alleged undeclared plot and later for not disclosing an Easy Paisa account. He wrote that his brother’s nomination papers were accepted despite these challenges, but he was later arrested and implicated in an NAB case. Chaudhry stated that any government formed due to such elections would lack moral or legal authority.
He also mentioned challenging objections raised by the Returning Officer in court, revealing that the objections were declared null and void by the High Court. However, he highlighted that their nomination papers were rejected on two grounds: incorrect verification page and failure to declare an Easy Paisa account.
