Donald Lu raises concerns over polls irregularities in Pakistan

WASHINGTON:  US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu raising questions over fairness of Feb 8 general elections has emphasised the need to stay engaged with Pakistan to help it navigate through the crises it is facing.

Lu on Tuesday submitted a written statement expressing concerns about irregularities in the elections and recommended a probe into allegations of rigging.

The four-page testimony, which was uploaded on the Foreign Affairs committee’s website, says that the US observed multiple irregularities in the election.

“We were particularly concerned about electoral abuses and violence that happened in the weeks leading up to the elections,” Lu wrote.

Lu said that there had been terror attacks against police, politicians, and political gatherings. He also said journalists had been harassed by party supporters as well.

The secretary also said that many political leaders were unable to register parties as well as specific candidates.

Lu said that the irregularities continued on polling day when international observers could not witness counting in half of the country’s constituencies. He also referred to the shutdown of mobile internet on the day of the election as well.

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“More than 5,000 independent observers were in the field. Their organization concluded that the conduct of the election was largely competitive and orderly, while noting some irregularities in the compilation of results,” he said.

However, Lu also noted that over 60 million people had voted and had been given a range of choices. He also said that three different parties have formed governments in Pakistan.

Calling Pakistan an important partner of the US, Lu said that the two countries had shared goals against terrorism.

“The Pakistani people deserve a country that is peaceful, democratic, and prosperous. We are working every day to support that vision,” he said.

“Unfortunately, Pakistan is facing mounting debt challenges after the past decade of elevated borrowing, including from [China]. This year, nearly 70 per cent of the federal government’s revenue is expected to go to payments to service this massive debt,” Mr Lu says, explaining why the US needs to stay engaged with Pakistan.

Lu is the diplomat whose supposed warning to former Pakistan Ambassador to the US Asad Majeed was the subject of a cipher sent by the envoy to Islamabad. This is the same document that former PM Imran Khan used to allege a US conspiracy to oust his government in 2022, and Mr Khan is currently on trial for mishandling the same confidential document.

Lu is scheduled to testify today before a subcommittee of the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, at a hearing titled ‘Pakistan After the Elections: Examining the Future of Democracy in Pakistan and the US-Pakistan Relationship’.