The lawyer of former imprisoned Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan indicated on Thursday that Khan will write a letter to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) urging it to conduct an independent review of the controversial national election results held on February 8, prior to resuming talks with Islamabad. Ali Zafar, Khan's lawyer, stated to reporters outside the prison where Khan is serving his sentence: "Khan’s message is that if the IMF wants to hold talks with the Pakistani government, it should set conditions that include reviewing the election results."
Zafar added that "multilateral institutions like the IMF and international blocs like the European Union only provide financial assistance in the presence of a good and democratic system of governance, which includes free and fair elections." Pakistan managed to avoid default last summer thanks to a short-term bailout plan from the IMF, but the program ends next month and the new government will have to negotiate a long-term agreement to maintain the stability of the country’s $350 billion economy.
Khan and his party claim that the elections, which resulted in no party gaining a majority, were rigged. Although independent candidates supported by Khan secured the most seats, the coalition of rival parties has a greater number of seats and is positioned to form the next government.
