Jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's party is being targeted by "systematic dismemberment" and "pre-poll rigging", a rights watchdog said on January 2, casting doubt on the fairness of upcoming elections. Nomination papers for Khan and the majority of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party candidates have been rejected by the electoral commission, according to PTI, shutting them out of the February 8 ballot. "The nature of the rejections seems systematic," Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) official Farhatullah Babar told the AFP news agency.
Pakistan Election Subject To 'Pre-Poll Rigging,' Says Rights Watchdog
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan (file photo)