ISLAMABAD: The Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) has concluded that critical decisions by key institutions “impinged on the credibility, transparency and inclusiveness” of Pakistan’s 2024 general elections and created an ‘unlevel playing field’ that consistently limited one political party.

In its long-delayed election observation report, the group noted that the PTI was primarily affected by these actions.

The findings were released in the group’s final report, made public nearly 11 months after its submission on Nov 20, 2024. The report serves as a detailed charge-sheet on the electoral process, from the pre-election environment to post-election legal changes.

“When looked at in isolation, some — tho­­ugh not all — of the arguments adv­anced by these institutions in support of their actions appear justifiable and with a solid legal basis,” the report states.

Commonwealth report on 2024 elections says political issues cannot be solved by technical solutions

“Yet, when viewed together, they present a picture of an electoral environment in which decisions by key institutions consistently limited the ability of one particular party to contest the elections.”

A central finding focused on what the report termed “jurisprudential inconsistencies” in two highly consequential pre-election cases. The first was the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse a lifetime ban on politicians, which directly paved the way for former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to contest the election.

In stark contrast, the report detailed the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision, later upheld by the Supreme Court, to strip the PTI of its ‘bat’ electoral symbol over disputes related to its intra-party elections.

This decision forced PTI candidates to run as independents, confusing voters and critically preventing the party from claiming its share of reserved seats.

The COG argued that the penalty was “highly disproportionate to the offence” and effectively denied a large portion of the electorate the right to vote for their party of choice. The report also expres­sed deep concern over the timing and nature of legal cases against PTI founder which led to his conviction in three separate cases just days before the polls.

Election day

On election day itself, observers criticised the election day shutdown of cellular and internet services, blaming it for the failure of ECP’s result management system. They noted that without digital result forms, manipulation of Forms 45, 46, and 47 became more likely and found discrepancies between forms.

Beyond technical and legal issues, the report described a “zero-sum, winner-takes-all approach” to politics as a fundamental problem. This environment, it argued, is fostered by a security apparatus that priorities its concept of security above democratic institutions.

“The group regards as fallacious the notion that security must come at the expense of democracy,” it asserts.

Ultimately, the observers concluded that lasting electoral reforms require more than just technical adjustments.

“The fundamental challenges impacting the credibility and transparency of elections are political in nature, and political challenges require political — rather than technical — solutions,” the report said.

“It is our hope that Pakistan’s political parties can break the cycle of zero-sum politics, and move towards a politics based on shared respect, tolerance and trust.”

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2025