Foreign observation mission Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) on Tuesday officially released its report on Pakistan’s 2024 general elections, highlighting “conditions which appeared to limit fundamental political rights and impacted one party’s ability to fairly contest the election”.
“Additionally, it noted a shutdown of cellular services on election night, which reduced the transparency of the process and impacted the efficiency of receiving results,” a COG press release said.
The report had been the subject of some controversy after media reports suggested the Commonwealth had buried the report after finding the elections to be riddled with problems.
The COG noted areas for improvement and provided recommendations for strengthening the independence of the country’s democratic institutions, the press release said.
It further stated: “The group highlighted, among others, the conditions which appeared to limit fundamental political rights and impacted one party’s ability to fairly contest the election. Additionally, it noted a shutdown of cellular services on election night, which reduced the transparency of the process and impacted the efficiency of receiving results.”
The report concluded that these developments may have “impinged on the credibility, transparency and inclusiveness of the electoral process”.
The 161-page report also mentioned the Forms-45 controversy that has been at the heart of rigging allegations levelled by the PTI during those elections.
“In several constituencies, the Group reviewed documentation that suggested that Form 45s may have been altered to change the total number of votes received by candidates, and that these altered forms were used to compile the tabulated results on Forms 47, resulting in some candidates being illegally returned as elected,” the COG report read.
It said the COG was informed that, in many cases, the Forms-45 submitted to the Returning Officer (RO) differed from the copies of Forms-45 “received at the polling station by agents of independent candidates and other party agents”.The COG also “reviewed documentation that appeared to show that a significant number of Forms 46 had been altered”.
Providing its assessment of the English-language media coverage, the COG noted that the mainstream media “broadly followed the principles of fair and accurate election reporting”.
“However, some sections of the media covered some candidates and political parties more favourably than they did others, with PTI-affiliated independent candidates receiving less positive coverage in national mainstream media.”
The report pointed out that state-owned PTV News “lacked balance, with the majority of its coverage concentrated on PML-N and the PPP — especially the former” — while PTI-affiliated independent candidates were not given as much coverage.
Reduction in voter registration gender gap
In its report, the COG also “commended the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) efforts to ensure inclusive elections”.
“It noted the ECP’s expansion of its Gender and Social Inclusion Wing as a worthwhile endeavour, which contributed to a reduction in the voter registration gender gap from 12 per cent in 2013 to 7.7pc in the 2024 election.
“The group further noted the establishment of the ECP’s gender hotline for reporting election-related harassment and intimidation. There was also an improvement in youth voter turnout.”
The press release, citing the report, added that despite challenges, the “potential for improving future polls was encouraging”.
“The potential of Pakistan’s democracy is enormous. Pakistan has a vibrant and diverse media; women and the youth are more engaged than ever; and Pakistan’s CSOs play a critical role in the democratic life of the country, continually pushing for reform and improvement.”
The report proposed reforms to various aspects of the electoral process, including the legal framework and its interpretation, election administration, and laws impacting political rights, women’s participation, pre-election campaigns, and the role of the media, the press release said.
According to the letter of transmittal appended to the report, it was submitted by the COG to the Commonwealth Secretary General on Nov 20, 2024. A press statement issued alongside the report did not explain the inordinate delay in its publication.
In September, the PTI had called on the COG to release this report, claiming that it laid bare “systemic rigging, institutional bias, and deliberate targeting of PTI and its founder, Imran Khan”.
However, in a statement issued on Sept 14, the COG said it was aware that a version of its report on the 2024 Pakistan general elections was circulating online, but that they did not comment on leaked documents as a matter of policy.
“The government and the Election Commission of Pakistan have already received the report. The full report, as we had communicated earlier, will be released later this month, along with a number of COG reports currently in the publication pipeline,” the COG statement said.
The PTI’s demand came after a recent report by the independent news outlet Drop Site News claimed that the COG had “buried their report” after finding the Feb 8 general elections to be riddled with problems.
Although the group’s report on Pakistan was yet to be officially released back then, media outlets claimed to have obtained leaked copies of the report.
