Pakistan polls went smoothly; no rigging or Army intimidation was observed: Ex-Indian poll chief tells WION 

Former Chief Election Commissioner of India Shahabuddin Yaqoob Quraishi was in Pakistan during the general elections and spoke to WION about some of the key observations made by his team.

Quraishi stated that most of the election went smoothly and peacefully across Pakistan and that the Army, despite being present inside and outside the polling stations, was not intimidating.

Were Pak polls free and fair?

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"Pakistan's polls were found largely transparent and fair by the diplomatic committee and the EU Commission. I was part of the Commonwealth delegation. We went to 7-8 cities and found everything in order," Quraishi stated.

The Ex-Indian poll chief also shared that his team saw no incidents of complaints and that people voted with enthusiasm with a large number of women participating.

Rigging allegations

"It is probably what we would call pre-poll rigging, something that happens in our country too. Before the elections, party members or supporters may switch the party -- we call it political engineering and not rigging," Quraishi stated.

Army's presence

"Everyone had talked about large Army deployment inside and outside the polling station and we were very particular about observing the activities there but although we found troops stationed, they didn't come across as intimidating. They ensured security and safety," he added.

Electoral mechanism: India vs Pakistan

Quraishi also talked about the gaping difference between Indian elections and Pakistan's polling process. "First of all, they are still using the ballot system, something that we had given up almost twenty years back. They proceed with the counting of votes immediately which I think never helps, in India, we give a break of three days and the results are declared within 3-4 hours. Our mechanism is smoother, more efficient," Quraishi noted.

Simultaneous polls in India?

Quraishi stated that the idea of holding simultaneous polls in India is debatable and can be explored. "We observed that provincial and national assembly elections went smoothly and hand-in-hand in Pakistan. The idea is debatable for India, something that can be explored," he concluded.