Pakistani premier defends delay in election results
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden welcomed Jordan’s King Abdullah II to the White House on Monday for talks set to cover the effort to free hostages held in Gaza and growing concern over a possible Israeli military operation in the border city of Rafah.
It was the first meeting between the allies since three American troops were killed last month in a drone strike against a U.S. base in Jordan. Biden blamed Iran-backed militias for the deaths, the first for the U.S. after months of strikes by such groups against American forces across the Middle East since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the two leaders would discuss efforts to help end the conflict, humanitarian assistance into Gaza and “a vision for a durable peace to include the viability of a two-state solution with Israel’s security guaranteed.”
The meeting with King Abdullah II comes as Biden and his aides are working to broker another pause in Israel’s war against Hamas in order to send humanitarian aid and supplies into the region and get hostages out. The White House faces growing criticism from Arab Americans over the administration’s continued support for Israel in the face of growing casualties in Gaza since Hamas launched its Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Biden, joined by his wife, Jill, welcomed the king, Queen Raina and Crown Prince Hussein at the White House before the leaders met. The president and the king were set to deliver statements Monday afternoon.
It appeared a deal for another pause in the fighting was getting close. A senior U.S. administration official said Sunday that after weeks of shuttle diplomacy and phone conversations, a framework was essentially in place for a deal that could see the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza in exchange for a halt to fighting.
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s caretaker prime minister on Monday defended the widely criticized delay in announcing the results of last week’s election, saying authorities took only 36 hours to count over 60 million votes while also grappling with militant attacks.
Anwaarul-Haq-Kakar said that the previous election results had been announced after a delay of 66 hours when Imran Khan won power in 2018. He insisted that a “level playing field” was available to all political parties, including Khan, the imprisoned former prime minister whose party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, won most of the seats – but only because its candidates ran as independents.
Thursday’s vote was held to choose a new parliament but was overshadowed by allegations of vote-rigging, an unprecedented mobile phone shutdown, and the exclusion of Khan and his party from the vote.
Kakar said at a news conference that the mobile phone service was suspended on Election Day for security reasons following a pair of militant attacks that killed 30 people in southwestern Baluchistan province a day before the vote. He said that security forces last week killed a key militant from the Islamic State group who was behind the two election-related attacks. He said he could afford a delay in the announcement of the election results “but not the terrorism or the terrorist attacks.”
Kakar said the elections were largely held in a peaceful, free and fair manner, and the process to install a new government could begin within the next eight to nine days, when the newly elected National Assembly is expected to convene. He said the parliament will elect the speaker, deputy speaker and the new prime minister. Kakar said people were allowed to hold peaceful protests but warned that action would be taken if rallies turned violent.
On Monday, thousands of supporters of Khan and members of other political parties blocked highways and started a daylong strike in the southwest to protest alleged vote-rigging. Separately, several nationalist and Islamist
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations, acknowledged that gaps remained but declined to specify what they are. The official said Israeli military pressure on Hamas in Khan Younis over the past several weeks has helped bring the militant group closer to accepting an agreement.
The potential for an agreement took up the majority of Biden’s call Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and was going to come up in his conversations with the king on Monday.
Kirby said the U.S. still opposed a general cease-fire in Gaza, as Abdullah and other regional leaders have called for.
Netanyahu and Biden also had a significant back-and-forth about the potential expansion of Israeli military operations into Rafah and that Biden reiterated U.S. opposition to the idea under the “current conditions” while more than 1.3 million people are sheltering there.
Kirby on Monday noted that there were “legitimate military targets” for the Israelis in Rafah but said the Israelis must ensure their operations are designed to protect the lives of innocent civilians.
political parties in Baluchistan blocked two highways leading to Iranian and Afghan border crossings, disrupting trade and movement of people.
While election winners were celebrating, PTI and other parties refused to accept their defeat in dozens of constituencies. Dozens of Khan’s supporters were briefly detained in the eastern city of Lahore over the weekend while protesting alleged election irregularities.
Jan Achakzai, a government spokesman in Baluchistan, urged protesters to “show grace” by accepting defeat and moving away from the highways.
Khan could not run in the election because of the criminal convictions against him that he says are politically motivated. His candidates won 93 out of 265 National Assembly seats – not enough to form a government.
The Pakistan Muslim League-N party led by three-time premier and ex-felon Nawaz Sharif secured 75 seats. The Pakistan People’s Party, or PPP, led by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, came in third with 54 seats. The campaign to kick Khan out of office in 2022 was led by the PML-N and the PPP. The two parties were in talks to form a coalition government.