Former information minister Fawad Chaudhry, now affiliated with the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party, has declared his boycott of the upcoming general elections. Currently in custody due to a corruption case, Fawad expressed his decision through a letter shared on his official X account, originally posted by his brother Faisal Hussain.
Hussain shared a hand-written letter alongside a statement condemning the election as “so-called and fake.” In the letter, Fawad criticized the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), alleging its failure to conduct elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab last year after the respective provincial assemblies were dissolved.
Fawad claimed he was falsely arrested to prevent his participation in the elections, stating, “First of all, I was arrested in false cases so that I resign from contesting the elections myself.” He pointed out the rejection of his nomination papers and subsequent appeal by a Rawalpindi election tribunal without justification.
Expressing frustration with political victimization, Fawad declared a “complete boycott” of the elections, deeming it a “waste of time” to demand resignations from ECP officials. He criticized the ECP’s failure in fulfilling its responsibilities, asserting that a government formed through such elections would lack both moral and legal mandates to address the country’s crises and challenges.
Fawad had severed ties with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and joined the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party, founded by Jahangir Tareen, in June of the previous year.
