https://arab.news/gztfx
- Pattan chief Sarwar Bari says his Islamabad residence was sealed in response to a recent election assessment
- Authorities maintain Pattan’s registration as an NGO had been canceled in 2019 and it was operating illegally
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan authorities have sealed the home of an NGO chief who authored a report alleging widespread rigging in national elections last year, he told AFP on Saturday.
Polls in February 2024 took place with the nation’s most popular politician Imran Khan jailed and barred from running, and a coalition of parties considered pliable to the powerful military took power.
This month, NGO Pattan published a report on the elections and described them in a statement as “unprecedentedly rigged” with “vote-rigging, fraud and manipulation.”
Pattan chief Sarwar Bari — currently in London — said his home in the capital Islamabad was sealed off on Friday night.
“This is obviously in response to the report,” he told AFP.
His wife Aliya Bano said the property was closed off by a team of around two dozen including police officers, magistrates and Islamabad administration officials.
A judge’s order to seal the residence, seen by AFP, said Pattan’s registration as an NGO had been canceled in 2019 and it was operating illegally.
Bari said he often used his residence for Pattan meetings and postal correspondence but was adamant it was primarily his home.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said in a statement on social media platform X that it was “alarmed” by reports his home had been sealed.
“Such tactics of intimidation against citizens are unacceptable,” the statement said. “The matter should be heard immediately in a court of law.”
Pattan has called for a public inquiry into the national elections which took place on February 8, 2024.
Ahead of the vote ex-prime minister Khan’s party was targeted by a sweeping crackdown, which saw numerous senior leaders arrested and their street campaigning disrupted.
Days before the poll, Khan was convicted of a trio of offenses including graft, treason and illegal marriage.
Polling day itself was marred by a mobile Internet blackout, which Islamabad said was necessary to address security concerns.
Social media platform X has been banned since soon after the polls, when it was used to air rigging allegations.
Despite the setbacks, candidates loyal to Khan won more seats than any other party but a coalition led by two former rival parties considered allies of the military shut them out of power.
Pakistan’s military has directly ruled the country for decades at a time and continues to wield immense power in civilian politics, analysts say.