A remarkable Rs33.5 billion was spent on the controversial February 8 general elections, which were plagued by serious allegations of rigging. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disclosed that this expenditure significantly exceeded the Rs28 billion spent on the 2018 general elections. Despite the ECP’s efforts to minimize costs for the 2024 elections, the final expenditure still reached Rs33.5 billion.
This figure contradicts earlier claims by the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan, who asserted that the 2024 elections cost only Rs14.5 billion and alleged that the ECP had sought a much larger budget from the previous government to delay the elections.
The February 8 elections were highly controversial, with the ECP and its Chief Election Commissioner, Sikandar Sultan Raja, facing intense scrutiny over accusations of rigging. The breakdown of the Election Management System (EMS) on election night intensified suspicions, as PTI-backed candidates were leading before the system failed, only to lose their leads when the EMS was restored.
The ECP has struggled to provide convincing explanations for the EMS failure and the abrupt disruption of mobile and internet services on Election Day, which it had previously assured would not impact result transmission.
Additionally, the ECP’s directive to provincial election commissioners and returning officers to issue results within half an hour, under threat of strict action, was not enforced.
As Pakistan deals with the fallout from the February 8 elections, the revelation of the Rs33.5 billion expenditure is likely to amplify public concerns about the integrity of the democratic process.
