Donald Lu seeks probe into Pakistan election rigging allegations ahead of US Congressional hearing

Amid calls to not recognise Pakistan's new government, Donald Lu has expressed Washington’s concerns about irregularities in the general elections held in Feb.

Amid calls to not acknowledge Pakistan's new government following controversial elections, US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu underlined Washington’s concerns about irregularities in the February 8 polls.

Donald Lu suggested a thorough probe into allegations of rigging in Pakistan general elections. (US State Department)

In a written statement ahead of his House testimony on Wednesday, Lu stressed the importance of remaining involved with Pakistan in order to help it handle the current crisis. He suggested a thorough probe into allegations of rigging.

Former ambassador Lu will testify before a subcommittee of the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs on the subject of "Pakistan After the Elections: Examining the Future of Democracy in Pakistan and the US-Pakistan Relationship."

He is at the forefront of a crisis in Pakistan stemming from his purported warning to Asad Majeed, the former Pakistan envoy to the US, which was sent to Islamabad via a cipher. PTI founder and ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan addressed the cipher in public addresses, accusing the US of plotting to remove him from power in 2022.

Lu, in his statement, also highlighted how the State Department slammed Pakistan for electoral violence, the undue limitations on freedoms of expression, ban on internet and assaults on media personnel during its general elections.

"Even though a high court had ordered that internet services remain uninterrupted on election day, mobile data services were shut down, cutting off the main channel for Pakistanis to access social media and messaging apps," he said in the written testimony that was uploaded to the House subcommittee’s website.

Stating the US government is particularly concerned about pre-election instances of electoral misconduct and violence, he highlighted attacks on police, political leaders and harassment of journalists, particularly women. He also mentioned the difficulties that some candidates and parties encountered during their registration.

He further noted that a well-known local monitoring body was denied access to check the vote count in several constituencies.

Pakistan slammed for electoral violence, attack on media workers

Earlier several countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States, expressed concerns over Pakistan general elections, stating that criminal acts such as fraud, activist arrests, and interference must be probed.

The US State Department called for a full investigation into allegations of fraud or interference, and stated that the US consents with credible local and international election observers that the rights to free speech, association, and peaceful assembly were severely restricted during these elections.

“We condemn electoral violence, restrictions on the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including attacks on media workers, and restrictions on access to the Internet and telecommunication services, and are concerned about allegations of interference in the electoral process. Claims of interference or fraud should be fully investigated,” it said.

Last month, US legislators appealed to President Joe Biden not to recognise Pakistan's new government until charges of election fraud have been adequately probed.

In their combined letter, the lawmakers highlighted concerns about pre- and post-poll rigging in Pakistan elections. They sought a fair and comprehensive probe, citing evidence of violations and disturbances on the election day.

Despite the fact that Imran Khan's PTI-backed independent candidates won the most number of seats in the National Assembly, ex-PM Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) joined hands to form a coalition government.