Pakistan Elections Marred by Violence and Suspension of Mobile Phone Services, Real-Time Counting Continues on News Outlets.

Unique Points

• Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed confidence his party would win national elections Thursday.
• A day before the election, at least 30 people were killed in bombings at political offices and dozens of attacks on Thursday appeared aimed at disrupting the balloting.
• The military said 12 people were killed and 39 wounded in 51 attacks in the country that has been beset by surging militancy.
• Nawaz Sharif suggested he was thinking about which posts would go to his family members including his younger brother and former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif.
• If no single party wins a simple majority, the first-placed gets a chance to form a coalition.
• Candidates from Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party have been forced to run as independents after the Supreme Court and Election Commission said they can’t use the party symbol.
• Imran Khan is behind bars and banned from running after a series of convictions, including some just days before the election.
• Kashfa Zain left her house at 6:30 am to make sure she was on time to cast her vote for one of Khan’s candidates.
• Ilham, Kashfa Zain's daughter studied the party’s policies and figures on Instagram.
• Sharif supporters appeared to express less enthusiasm and determination even on his home turf.
• One voter said he had to vote for the family because they were his neighbors and he saw them almost every day.
• Photographer Shahrukh Bhatti said people are so demoralized about this vote.
• The only other real contender is the Pakistan People’s Party.
• Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the son of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, leads the party.
• Analysts predict the race will come down to Nawaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
• Hundreds of thousands of security forces fanned out across the country for elections.
• The stoppage of all mobile phone services raised further concerns about fairness with people unable to make calls or send text messages.
• Rights group Amnesty International condemned the shutdown, saying it was reckless to impede access to information as voters head to polls amid violence and an intense crackdown on opposition in lead-up elections.
• In Lahore, mother and daughter Risham and Bishmah Ahmer were early arrivals at their polling station.
• Bishmah Ahmed, a 20-year-old first time voter said she hoped there wouldn't be any cheating.
• Her mother was disappointed at the treatment of Khan and his party but wasn’t deterred.
• It is important for people to vote according to their conscience.

Accuracy

• Kashfa Zain left her house at 6:30 am to make sure she was on time to cast her vote for one of Khan's candidates.
• Ilham, Kashfa Zain’s daughter studied the party’s policies and figures on Instagram.
• Bishmah Ahmed, a 20-year-old first time voter said she hoped there wouldn’t be any cheating.
• Her mother was disappointed at the treatment of Khan and his party but wasnχt deterred.

Deception (100%)

None Found At Time Of Publication

Fallacies (75%)

• The military said 12 people were killed and 39 wounded in 51 attacks in the country that has been beset by surging militancy.
• Nawaz Sharif's convictions were overturned, leaving him free to seek a fourth term in office.

Bias (85%)

• Imran Khan is behind bars and banned from running after a series of convictions
• The only other real contender is the Pakistan People’s Party. It has a power base in the south and is led by a rising star in national politics — Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the son of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
• The Sharifs and Bhutto-Zardari are traditional rivals but have joined forces against Khan in the past.

Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)

None Found At Time Of Publication

Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)

None Found At Time Of Publication

Unique Points

None Found At Time Of Publication

Accuracy

• Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed confidence his party would win national elections Thursday.
• A day before the election, at least 30 people were killed in bombings at political offices and dozens of attacks on Thursday appeared aimed at disrupting the balloting.
• The unprecedented mobile phone shutdown was intended to prevent disruptions and flash protests, but it drew condemnation from rights groups.

Deception (50%)

• The article states that 'A crackdown on the biggest opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and its leader Imran Khan fuelled concerns that the polls would not be free and fair.' However, it does not provide any evidence or context for these claims. This statement is misleading as there is no information to support this claim.
• The article states that 'Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader, former Prime Minister Imran Khan, fuelled concerns that the polls would not be free and fair.' However, it does not provide any evidence or context for these claims. This statement is misleading as there is no information to support this claim.

Fallacies (85%)

• The article uses an appeal to authority by stating that Pakistan is counting votes in a general election marred by violence and suspension of mobile phone services without providing any evidence or sources for this claim. For example, the author writes: 'Pakistan is counting votes in a general election marred by violence and suspension of mobile phone services.'
• The article presents information about political parties without providing context on their positions or policies, which can be seen as inflammatory rhetoric. For instance, the author writes: 'If the PMLN forms a government, it is unclear which brother might become PM, but Nawaz will likely hold the strings either way.'
• The article uses dichotomous depictions by presenting only two options (either PMLN or PPP will form government) without considering other possibilities. For example, the author writes: 'A party or a coalition will need 134 seats to form the government.'
• The article presents information about voting in Pakistan without providing any context on how it works and its significance to the country's political system. For instance, the author writes: 'Each voter can cast two votes — one for the National Assembly and the other for the provincial assembly.'

Bias (85%)

• The article mentions that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) has been in power for several years and has dropped corruption cases against Nawaz Sharif which could be seen as an example of religious bias, as it implies that PMLN's political stance is influenced by their religious beliefs.
• The article mentions that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has been dog whistling supporters of extremist far right ideologies and wild conspiracy theories like QAnon which is a clear example of monetary bias, as the author implies that PTI's political stance is influenced by their financial backing.

Site Conflicts Of Interest (0%)

• <https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/9/pakistan-election-2024-live-results>
• The author is a member of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which is one of the political parties being discussed in the article. This could compromise their ability to report on PPP activities objectively.

Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)

• <br>Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who will be leading his party after having served as foreign minister for a short period after Khan's removal as PM in 2022 is also mentioned.
• Imran Khan, who led protests against the country's powerful military after his removal as Prime Minister in 2022 and was disqualified from running due to corruption charges.
• The author is a member of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) which has been ruled by several members of the Bhutto dynasty.

Unique Points

• Supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan are slightly ahead in early election results
• Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed confidence his party would win national elections Thursday.
• The unprecedented mobile phone shutdown was intended to prevent disruptions and flash protests, but it drew condemnation from rights groups.

Accuracy

No Contradictions at Time Of Publication

Deception (50%)

• An 'internet issue' caused the holdup in counting votes after polls closed
• If the election does not result in a clear majority for anyone, as analysts are predicting, dealing with challenges facing the country could prove difficult.
• The main battle was expected to be between candidates backed by Mr Khan, whose PTI won the last national election, and the PML of Mr Sharif.
• Supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan are slightly ahead in early election results

Fallacies (70%)

Bias (85%)

• Mr Khan believes the country's powerful military is behind a crackdown to wipe out his party, while analysts and opponents say Mr Sharif is being backed by the generals
• Supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan are slightly ahead in early election results
• The Pakistan Muslim League party of three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif had 39 seats

Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)

None Found At Time Of Publication

Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)

None Found At Time Of Publication

Unique Points

• The party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan has put up a fight in the national election despite a crackdown by the country's powerful military.
• Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed confidence his party would win national elections Thursday.
• In Punjab, many candidates from Nawaz Sharif's PMLN were neck and neck with those from Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
• The delay in releasing election results could be a sign of tampering by the military.
• Imran Khan was arrested in August and issued three prison terms for a variety of offenses just days before the vote.
• Zia ur-Rehman contributed reporting.

Accuracy

No Contradictions at Time Of Publication

Deception (50%)

• The article portrays Nawaz Sharif as being ahead of his rival party despite evidence suggesting otherwise. For example, it states 'That party, led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, remained the front-runner as preliminary totals trickled in a day after the voting.' However this is contradicted later on when it says 'In Punjab, the country's most populous province', which suggests that he was not leading.
• The article mentions a suspension of mobile phone service across Pakistan but does not provide evidence linking this to an attempt to hinder PTI supporters. For example, it states 'Voting on Thursday was marred by a suspension of mobile phone service across the country.' but does not mention anything about how this affected the election results.
• The article implies that the military's crackdown on Imran Khan's party was a failure when in fact they were able to prevent them from winning a landslide victory. For example, it states 'That party, led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, remained the front-runner as preliminary totals trickled in a day after the voting.' However this is contradicted later on when it says 'The prolonged uncertainty made clear that the military had failed in its heavy-handed effort to gut a rival party affiliated with another former prime minister, Imran Khan.', which suggests that they were not able to prevent him from winning.
• There is no mention of any tampering with the results by the military or anyone else which contradicts Gohar Ali Khan's statement. For example, it states 'Gohar Ali Khan, the chairman of PTI, said on the platform X.' but does not provide evidence linking this to an attempt to change the results.

Fallacies (85%)

Bias (85%)

• Gohar Ali Khan stated that any attempt to change the results overnight will not be accepted.
• Mr. Khan was arrested just days before the vote and has been barred from holding public office for a decade.
• The military, long the guiding hand in Pakistani politics
• the prolonged uncertainty made clear that the military had failed in its heavy-handed effort to gut a rival party affiliated with another former prime minister

Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)

Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)