- “We are not sure about general election in Pakistan in 2023”.
- EOM needs invitation from Pakistan to send its observers: Gahlar.
- 2013 election “much better” than 2008, 2018 elections: EU MPs.
BRUSSELS: The European Union may not send its election observers to Pakistan this year “because we are not sure about the general elections in Pakistan in 2023”, Michael Gahler, the head of the EU Parliament’s Election Observation Mission (EOM), has said.
He said this while talking to a group of Pakistani journalists at the European Union Parliament, who are visiting Belgium at the invitation of the European External Action Service.
Gahler has been a member of the European Union Parliament since 1999 and headed Pakistan’s EOM in 2008, 2013 and 2018.
He said that the EOM needs an invitation from the Government of Pakistan to send its observation mission to monitor the election at least three months before the date of the election. “But we have not yet received any invitation from Pakistan,” he added.
He said that according to his understanding, elections in Pakistan should be held in October this year. “But there are no signs of elections, so it will not be possible to send an observation mission, but if the elections are held next year, we can expect to send an expert mission,” the EU parliamentarian said.
He further said that he can send only a small expert mission to Pakistan this year but for that mission also he needs an invitation. Responding to a question, he said that his observation mission always visits Pakistan on the invitation of the government and the Election Commission.
He said that an invitation is needed to go to Pakistan to make arrangements and that the 2013 general elections were “much better” than the 2008 and 2018 elections.
Gahler said that EU observers in the 2018 elections faced a lot of problems such as they were issued visas too late and their teams were not allowed to go to polling stations.
The media was more open in 2008 and 2013, but in 2018 the media was facing pressure and it was clear to us that the establishment was openly helping Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan in 2018. and they helped him become the head. said the minister, the EU MP.
Without commenting on the reasons for the rift between the PTI chief and the establishment, Gahler said that Khan was removed through a vote of no confidence in Parliament and that the motion was legal.
He also said that PTI should be allowed to participate in the next elections without any hindrance and called upon the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to play an impartial role and conduct the elections on time as per the constitutional requirement.
