What type of elections were recently held in Pakistan?
On February 8, 2024, Pakistan had elections for the National Assembly and the provincial assemblies. Each person could vote twice: once for the National Assembly and once for their provincial assembly.
Pakistan has four provinces (similar to a state in India): Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, along with the federal territory of Islamabad.
The election results have still not been released.
Why have the results not been released?
After the election results were announced, members of the PTI party (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf) began protesting across the country, claiming that there was cheating done with the help of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP).
The ECP has set up a committee to investigate these claims. The final list of elected candidates will only be released after the committee reveals its findings. We'll have to wait and see who ends up forming the government in Pakistan!
How are Pakistan’s elections important for India?
Pakistan is a democratic country, but its military has often been more powerful than its elected leaders. There have been times when the military ruled for a long time. This has caused many problems like poverty, terrorism, high prices, lack of help for the public, and unfair treatment of different communities.
When a country is ruled by leaders chosen by the people and they have regular elections, it can bring peace and progress. Since India and Pakistan are next to each other, what happens in Pakistan affects India, especially its border areas.
Issues like terrorism, conflicts over places like Jammu & Kashmir, sharing water from rivers like the Indus, and mistreatment of non-Muslim minorities in Pakistan won't get solved unless the people of Pakistan pick good leaders in their elections.
That's why elections in Pakistan and nearby countries are important for India.
