Pakistan Elections: ‘There are expectations that Nawaz Sharif will return’, says former High Commission of India to Pak

Pakistan parliamentary elections are not just the most predictable, but also the most rigged ones because there is a widespread expectation that it will be possible be a select Nawaz Sharif and his PMLN party, said Ajay Bisara, former High Commissioner of India to Pakistan. 

Speaking to ANI, Bisaria said, "From all accounts, these elections on 8th February are not just the most predictable, but also the most rigged, because it's clear for everyone in Pakistan if you see the commentary that is coming from within the country.

“The election results are clear, the army in various ways is doing pre-election engineering, it will probably do some election engineering and post-election engineering to get a government that it wants in place,” he said. 

“It is said that it will possibly be a selection of Nawaz Sharif and his PMLN party, I think that is a widespread expectation, and that's fairly accurate…,” the official added. 

Pakistan general elections are set to be held on February 8 after months of delay. The country has been at the center of political, economic, and even judicial drama over the past year. However, many voters still wonder if the balloting can bring any real change in the country.

It is pertinent to note that several incidents of violence marred the pre-election atmosphere in Balochistan and Karachi as multiple hand grenade attacks and explosions targeted political entities and election-related offices.

In recent days, another bomb blast occurred outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) office in Balochistan's Nushki District on Sunday. The Election Commission of Pakistan has taken note of the explosion outside its Karachi office, and it has sought reports from the District Monitoring Officer and SSP South.

In the Mughalsarai area of Kalat town, three workers affiliated with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) were injured when unidentified assailants on a motorcycle attacked the party's election office. The attackers detonated a grenade near the building, as reported by Dawn.

In Balochistan, six individuals, including PPP workers, suffered injuries in separate hand grenade attacks across different towns.