A senior official in Pakistan has confessed to rigging the country's general election results, sparking widespread protests and deepening the political crisis. Liaqat Ali Chatta, the commissioner of Rawalpindi in Punjab province, told reporters that authorities altered the results for independent candidates backed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party, who were leading by over 70,000 votes.
Chatta claimed he faced immense pressure and contemplated suicide before deciding to make a public confession. He said, 'I take responsibility for the wrong in Rawalpindi. I should be punished for my crimes and other people involved in this crime should be punished.' He also accused the chief election commissioner and the chief justice of Pakistan of involvement. Chatta was subsequently arrested by police.
The chief justice, Qazi Faez Isa, has denied the allegations. The Election Commission of Pakistan also rejected Chatta's claims, while the interim chief minister of Punjab, Mohsin Naqvi, has ordered an impartial probe into the matter.
Protests have erupted across the country, with Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party demanding the resignation of the chief election commissioner and announcing anti-rigging rallies. PTI-backed candidate Salman Akram Raja was arrested in Lahore for participating in a protest. Fazlur Rehman, head of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party, also alleged the elections were rigged, claiming 'some were given entire assemblies in exchange for money.'
In Balochistan, ethnic nationalist parties accused the military of rigging for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People's Party (PPP), closing major highways. Political analyst Zahid Hussain said the confession confirms large-scale rigging, pushing the country into a deeper crisis. He noted that while Chatta did not name the military, 'everyone knows that the military and election commission were behind this large scale of rigging.'
