ISLAMABAD — As newly elected members of Pakistan's National Assembly were sworn in on Thursday, chaos erupted as the election of an ally of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan was rigged.
Members of parliament from Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf party repeatedly chanted "Ticket thief! Sheikhbaz Sharif, who is expected to be formed, joins his brother Nawaz Sharif in the lower house of parliament. Both are former prime ministers.
Outgoing speaker of the National Assembly, Raja Pervez Achraf, takes the oath of office to incoming lawmakers at noon.
The house echoed with "Long live Sharif!" The brothers signed the register after taking the oath of office. Pakistan People's Party (PAKSTAN People'Similar slogans were heard by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the young president of the S Party and a key ally of Sharif.
The challenges that the new ** will face include a surge in militant attacks and energy shortages; In addition, Pakistan's weak economy will force the country to turn to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout again.
Imran Khan's PTI MPs told reporters that they would continue to campaign against the rigging of the elections inside and outside parliament.
Yes, the election was rigged," said Gohar Ali Khan, the current chairman of the Tehreek-e-Insaf party.
The Tehreek-e-e-e-e- The party claimed that election results in dozens of constituencies had been tampered with to prevent it from winning a majority, an allegation denied by the Election Commission of Pakistan.
In the aftermath of the Feb. 8 elections, observers from the Commonwealth praised the election** for holding the vote amid multiple militant attacks, but the United States*** said the vote was held amid restrictions on the freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly. The EU has also criticized some politicians for their inability to participate in the elections. Pakistan*** hit back at these criticisms, saying that the vote was conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner.
None of the foreign observers described widespread bribery.
Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League Party (PML-N) and the former Pakistan People's Party (PAKSP) in Zardari'S Party) came out on top, winning the most seats in the National Assembly, which has 336 seats.
According to the power-sharing package, Sharif's party will support Zardari in next month's ** elections. The outgoing Arif Alvi is an ally of Khan and was a senior member of the Tehreek-e-e-e-
Khan is currently serving prison sentences in multiple cases and has been barred from running or holding public office. In three different sentences, he was convicted of corruption, leaking official secrets, and violating the marriage law, and was sentenced to 10, 14, and 7 years in prison, respectively. Khan is appealing all convictions. He still faces 170 legal cases, ranging from corruption to incitement to violence and terrorism.
On Wednesday, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party sent a letter to the International Monetary Organization, urging the group to link any negotiations with Islamabad to an audit of Pakistan's recent elections. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-e-e This latest development comes just days after the International Monetary Organization issued a key bailout loan to Pakistan.
Khan's move drew widespread criticism from rivals, including Sharif, who said Khan wanted to damage the country's economy. Sharif replaced Khan in April 2022 through a vote of no confidence, and last summer, when the International Monetary Fund approved the long-awaited $3 billion, Sharif worked to avoid a default on foreign payments.
Sharif has said he hopes to provide a new bailout to Pakistan after last year's IMF bailout expires in March. Autumn and Winter Check-in Challenge