Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday urged the people to vote to defeat the “inimical forces” working against the country, amid charges of manipulation by the powerful military in the just-concluded elections.
Gen. Bajwa and his wife exercised their franchise in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, the spokesperson for the military’s media wing said.
He urged the people to “come out and vote undeterred” in order to defeat enemy forces working against Pakistan, Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations Major General Asif Ghafoor tweeted along with a picture of the stout army chief at the polling centre.
“We are target of inimical forces working against Pak. We’ve come a long way in our comprehensive national effort to fail them. We are united & steadfast to defeat them, and ‘TODAY’ through our ‘VOTES’ Please come out & vote undeterred’, COAS,” the tweet quoted Gen. Bajwa as saying.
Malicious propaganda
Once the voting ended, the spokesman tweeted again, congratulating the voters and for rejecting “all kinds of malicious propaganda”.
“Thank you fellow Pakistanis. World has seen your love & respect for Pak. Armed Forces & Law Enforcement Agencies today. U have rejected all kinds of malicious propaganda. We are strong because we have your unflinching support. Our lives are dedicated to Pakistan and its People,” Mr. Ghafoor said. “Pakistan wins again!”
The cliffhanger vote pitted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Imran Khan against jailed ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Bilawal Zardari Bhutto’s Pakistan Peoples Party, with the prospect of no one party winning a clear majority in the National Assembly.
As many as 12,570 candidates are contesting for a total of 849 seats of national and provincial assemblies in the election. Gallup Pakistan estimated the turnout at between 50 to 55 percent in an electorate of nearly 106 million, similar to the previous contest in 2013.
The run-up to the elections have seen a massive crackdown on the media and allegations that the military has secretly backed the campaign of Mr. Khan while targeting his political opponents.
The military has ruled Pakistan through various coups for nearly half of the country’s history since independence in 1947. Even during the civilian rule, the generals have wielded enormous power, setting the agenda for the country’s foreign and security policies. The Election Commission of Pakistan was also criticised for deploying soldiers both inside and outside of polling stations. In previous polls, the soldiers were only present outside the polling stations.