Leaked audio recordings purportedly featuring key figures from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) have surfaced, lending credence to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan's allegations that the February 8 election results were manipulated and that the party's electoral mandate was unlawfully seized.
In these audio excerpts, Kamran Tessori, the Governor of Sindh, is purportedly heard expressing doubts regarding the legitimacy of their mandate, asserting it was "100 percent fake."
Tessori delves into MQM-P's allegiance shift from PTI to the Pakistan Democratic Alliance in April 2022, a decision met with disapproval from their supporters.
Recalling the 2018 elections where MQM-P secured seven National Assembly seats in Karachi, Tessori attributes their success to genuine public support, contrasting it with the February 8 polls where the party faced a significant setback.
During the February 8 election, candidates backed by PTI secured 92 National Assembly seats, surpassing the counts of Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). However, a coalition was formed between PML-N, PPP, and other parties, sidelining PTI and its affiliates.
In the leaked audio, Tessori also expresses dissatisfaction with the power distribution dynamics, highlighting MQM-P's minimal representation in the government.
A separate leaked audio featuring MQM-P's Senior Deputy Convener Mustafa Kamal reveals discussions with a PML-N delegation, suggesting pressure from PPP to sideline MQM-P due to alleged electoral malpractice.
Kamal acknowledges the content of the audio clips but dismisses them as recurrent accusations from political opponents.
The PTI alleges that its 90 National Assembly seats and over 100 Punjab Assembly seats were unlawfully seized by the establishment and redistributed among PMLN, MQM-P, and PPP to form "fraudulent governments."
