Pakistan heads for dirtiest election in years: Financial Times

[litman]

cant believe this story is among the main headlines off bbc world. the whole world is supporting their puppets in pak media and politics.

 

[Mugen]

You assume that foreign media organizations are fair and impartial. They are not. And the fact that they are all saying the same thing does not mean that they are run by PMLN. It does mean, however, that they have the same interests, and those interests do not necessarily align with the interests of Pakistan.

The other thing to note is that just because many news sources have the same position on an issue does not mean that it is the correct position. In journalism, there is something known as setting the agenda. Major news organizations such as the New York Times and Washington Post set the agenda, while all the smaller media organizations just follow the same story, the same position, and even the same language.

To the uninitiated it would seem as if "everyone" is saying the same thing. But in fact, most media orgs are just following the agenda setters.

Excellent post! I wanted to say the same thing but you have put it very nicely.

 

[MBT 3000]

This is Norwegian reporter got badly beaten by Punjab police and then sent to jail. Just released on Monday after 3 days of jail, and now he has run away back to Norway. He is not even Pakistani but works for private Norwegian TV2
https://cpj.org/amp/029566.html

he is a pmln supporter stupid kadafi

What's the agenda of an independent foreigner journalist? He was only covering a rally in Gujarat, but got this treatment from Punjab police. Is it normal to conduct elections like this?

bad for him came for a holiday then worked, his relatives are pmln supporters. and he defended pmln by bullshiting during reporting

 

[GORGAN]

Pakistan heads for dirtiest election in years
Candidates allege widespread interference by army and intelligence services

Emotions run high: the security of the election process has been thrown into doubt

July 18, 2018 3:20 am by Kiran Stacey and Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad


Pakistan is heading for one of its dirtiest elections in many years, observers and political campaigners have warned, with candidates alleging widespread interference by the country’s powerful army.

With days to go until next Wednesday’s vote, members of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz said they had been targeted by members of the intelligence services, as tensions ran high between the party’s ruling Sharif family and the country’s influential military.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the country’s former prime minister and a senior PML-N member, told the FT: “There has been coercion on members of our party to switch sides, with many of them being threatened with corruption cases.”


Referring to the 2002 election, during which Pervez Musharraf, the military dictator, was accused of blocking his two main opponents, Mr Abbasi said: “This is shaping up to be the worst election since 2002 — people have begun treating it as a joke.”

Hostility between the PML-N and the army has been high since last year, when Nawaz Sharif was ousted as prime minister and party leader on corruption charges that his allies say were orchestrated by the military. The PML-N government remained in power until parliament was dissolved in May in preparation for the election under a caretaker government.

Last week Mr Sharif was jailed for 10 yearsin a judgment that could see him unable to campaign during the election.

Meanwhile many members of his party said they had been called by people they believed to be working for the army and urged to switch allegiances.

Some said their movements had been monitored and occasionally obstructed, while others alleged they had been hounded through the courts. Mr Abbasi’s own nomination papers were challenged in the Supreme Court, which eventually ruled in his favour.

The army has denied political interference, with Major General Asif Ghafoor, its spokesman, saying it would play its role in a “non-political and impartial manner”.

Former Pakistani prime minister sentenced to 10 years in prison
The PML-N is engaged in a two-way fight with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, the anti-corruption party led by Imran Khan, Pakistan’s former cricket captain. Mr Khan has denied allegations that he was being backed by the country’s powerful generals, and has condemned any harassment of election candidates.

Presuming the vote goes ahead as planned, it will be only the second time Pakistan has made a transition from one civilian government to another. But the security of the election process has been thrown into doubt by a string of attacks on election rallies, including one in Mastung that killed 149 people.

Some accuse the army of not doing enough to provide security for political candidates, while others accuse it of outright harassment.

There have been a string of attacks on election rallies © AFP
Concerns about the treatment of the PTI’s main opponents, including the Pakistan People’s Party and the Awami National Party, have prompted Pakistan’s human rights commission to issue a damning reportinto the election process.

The commission said this week it was “gravely concerned over what it sees as blatant, aggressive and unabashed attempts to manipulate the outcome of the upcoming elections”.

It said it was also concerned by the army’s plan to put 370,000 troops on the streets on polling day, compared with just 70,000 at the previous general election in 2013.

Journalists said they were also coming under increased pressure to toe the army’s line, with those who failed to comply facing problems with distributing their news. In March, cable television services in certain areas of the country began blocking the transmission of the television station Geo, while the English-language Dawnnewspaper said its sales networks had been disrupted.

Meanwhile election observers from international organisations said their visas and government accreditations had been delayed for weeks, giving them only a few days on the ground before polling day next Wednesday.

“We have never had a situation like this in any of our 150-plus missions,” said Dmitra Ioannou, the deputy chief observer for the EU observation mission. “Usually our long-term observers would spend five to six weeks on the ground. This time, because of all the delays with our paperwork, they will get just one to two weeks, if that
https://www.ft.com/content/4572d7f4-89c1-11e8-bf9e-8771d5404543

Apparently the article is one sided, the writer refers only PML N who has the multiple reasons to blame army and on going political process. So for PML n did not present a single member being pressurized by army. Whereas the targets of terror attacks were known to support federation or army whome the writer is blaming for manipulation. Moreover in this age of vigilant press and civil society activists the Sharif family is convicted by the independent higher courts with due process not by the army. Furthermore the Army did not compromise the national interest and hindered the mlaacious ambitions of US EU and India especially in Afghan and Kashmir context which was referred by nawaz Sharif in dawn leaks therefore it is quite understandable that any election which did not bring in power the anti army forces may be called "dirtiest" by the certain national and international quarters.

 

[MBT 3000]

bs by international dirty media

 

[Norwegian]

worked, his relatives are pmln supporters. and he defended pmln by bullshiting during reporting

He is still an international reporter. Police used raw violence against the press which is against all laws both national and international

 

[MBT 3000]

He is still an international reporter. Police used raw violence against the press which is against all laws both national and international

not supporting that but he isnt innocent and after that started to spread misinformation

 

[M.AsfandYar]

No way punjab Police did this.

Must ve gotten lazy

 

[El Sidd]

Must ve gotten lazy

Or corrupt

 

[M.AsfandYar]

Or corrupt

That they already are...

 

[El Sidd]

That they already are...

Why the fuss then

 

[Yaseen1]

IF imran khan performs and solves the economic crisis which is the most threatening problem for our national security,the victim card will cease to exist

it will be very difficult to solve economic crisis particularly when your party is full of corrupt electibles and ik has no academic experience in economy .many big nations like russia who have more know how and scientific knowledge and minerals like oil and gas than us are struggling with economy.it is unlikely that ik will succeed as his performance in kpk is very limited

 

[Thumboor]

Pakistan heads for dirtiest election in years
Candidates allege widespread interference by army and intelligence services

Emotions run high: the security of the election process has been thrown into doubt

July 18, 2018 3:20 am by Kiran Stacey and Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad


Pakistan is heading for one of its dirtiest elections in many years, observers and political campaigners have warned, with candidates alleging widespread interference by the country’s powerful army.

With days to go until next Wednesday’s vote, members of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz said they had been targeted by members of the intelligence services, as tensions ran high between the party’s ruling Sharif family and the country’s influential military.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the country’s former prime minister and a senior PML-N member, told the FT: “There has been coercion on members of our party to switch sides, with many of them being threatened with corruption cases.”


Referring to the 2002 election, during which Pervez Musharraf, the military dictator, was accused of blocking his two main opponents, Mr Abbasi said: “This is shaping up to be the worst election since 2002 — people have begun treating it as a joke.”

Hostility between the PML-N and the army has been high since last year, when Nawaz Sharif was ousted as prime minister and party leader on corruption charges that his allies say were orchestrated by the military. The PML-N government remained in power until parliament was dissolved in May in preparation for the election under a caretaker government.

Last week Mr Sharif was jailed for 10 yearsin a judgment that could see him unable to campaign during the election.

Meanwhile many members of his party said they had been called by people they believed to be working for the army and urged to switch allegiances.

Some said their movements had been monitored and occasionally obstructed, while others alleged they had been hounded through the courts. Mr Abbasi’s own nomination papers were challenged in the Supreme Court, which eventually ruled in his favour.

The army has denied political interference, with Major General Asif Ghafoor, its spokesman, saying it would play its role in a “non-political and impartial manner”.

Former Pakistani prime minister sentenced to 10 years in prison
The PML-N is engaged in a two-way fight with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, the anti-corruption party led by Imran Khan, Pakistan’s former cricket captain. Mr Khan has denied allegations that he was being backed by the country’s powerful generals, and has condemned any harassment of election candidates.

Presuming the vote goes ahead as planned, it will be only the second time Pakistan has made a transition from one civilian government to another. But the security of the election process has been thrown into doubt by a string of attacks on election rallies, including one in Mastung that killed 149 people.

Some accuse the army of not doing enough to provide security for political candidates, while others accuse it of outright harassment.

There have been a string of attacks on election rallies © AFP
Concerns about the treatment of the PTI’s main opponents, including the Pakistan People’s Party and the Awami National Party, have prompted Pakistan’s human rights commission to issue a damning reportinto the election process.

The commission said this week it was “gravely concerned over what it sees as blatant, aggressive and unabashed attempts to manipulate the outcome of the upcoming elections”.

It said it was also concerned by the army’s plan to put 370,000 troops on the streets on polling day, compared with just 70,000 at the previous general election in 2013.

Journalists said they were also coming under increased pressure to toe the army’s line, with those who failed to comply facing problems with distributing their news. In March, cable television services in certain areas of the country began blocking the transmission of the television station Geo, while the English-language Dawnnewspaper said its sales networks had been disrupted.

Meanwhile election observers from international organisations said their visas and government accreditations had been delayed for weeks, giving them only a few days on the ground before polling day next Wednesday.

“We have never had a situation like this in any of our 150-plus missions,” said Dmitra Ioannou, the deputy chief observer for the EU observation mission. “Usually our long-term observers would spend five to six weeks on the ground. This time, because of all the delays with our paperwork, they will get just one to two weeks, if that
https://www.ft.com/content/4572d7f4-89c1-11e8-bf9e-8771d5404543

I guess this means if PML-N wins then, the election must be re-run due to the interference.
Or is it just if PTI wins?

 

[litman]

it will be very difficult to solve economic crisis particularly when your party is full of corrupt electibles and ik has no academic experience in economy .many big nations like russia who have more know how and scientific knowledge and minerals like oil and gas than us are struggling with economy.it is unlikely that ik will succeed as his performance in kpk is very limited

we have seen performances of "experienced" team of pml n and pppp. ishaq dollar is an absconder .

 

[Yaseen1]

we have seen performances of "experienced" team of pml n and pppp. ishaq dollar is an absconder .

if experience team performed bad imagine what inexperience team will result in to .it was better if imran khan himself acted as chief minister of kpk in last 5 yrs .he would have gained know how necessary to run govt.he has no experience of holding public office and will do mistakes .considering critical situation of economy we have no chance left for experiments