Sat Feb 22 15:01:51 UTC 2025: ## Pakistan NGO Chief’s Home Sealed After Election Rigging Report
**ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN** – The home of Sarwar Bari, head of the Pakistani NGO Pattan, has been sealed by authorities, he confirmed to AFP on Saturday. This action follows Pattan’s publication of a report alleging widespread rigging in the February 2024 national elections.
The report, released this month, detailed instances of vote-rigging, fraud, and manipulation, describing the elections as “unprecedentedly rigged.” Bari, currently in London, stated that the sealing of his Islamabad residence on Friday night was a direct response to the report. His wife confirmed that police, magistrates, and Islamabad administration officials were involved in the operation.
A court order cited the cancellation of Pattan’s NGO registration in 2019 as justification for the sealing, claiming the organization was operating illegally. Bari maintains that while he used the residence for Pattan meetings and correspondence, it is primarily his family home.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan expressed alarm at the incident, calling the intimidation tactics unacceptable and demanding immediate court intervention. Pattan has called for a public inquiry into the elections, which were held under controversial circumstances. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, the nation’s most popular politician, was jailed and barred from running, while a coalition of parties seen as aligned with the powerful military took power. The elections were also marked by a mobile internet blackout and the subsequent banning of social media platform X, which was used to disseminate allegations of rigging. Despite winning more seats than any other party, Khan’s loyalists were ultimately excluded from power.
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