Jahangir's World Times First Comprehensive Magazine for students/teachers of competitive exams and general readers as well.
2013 Elections have brought to light many firsts in Pakistan. Firstly, there was an independent and impartial Election Commission that conducted the general elections. Secondly, a caretaker setup, to ensure free, fair and transparent elections, was installed through a constitutional process. We are also heading towards a first-ever civilian transition.
Since the general elections 1970, seven general elections ‘1985, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1997, 2002 and 2008, respectively’ have been held in the country. A caretaker setup and/or the Election Commission of Pakistan, who is responsible to hold transparent elections, was never installed through the process as laid down in the constitution. All these elections were held after the incumbent governments were either sacked and assemblies dissolved by the President or after a military takeover. Some forces managed to keep the ousted sulers out of power as a result of managed elections. In the wake of May 11 General Elections, people of Pakistan will be witnessing a first-ever civilian transition i.e transfer of power from one civilian government to another without any sort of military intervention. Here, it looks imperative to have a look at the ‘transition process’.
Process of Election
In the process of election, transparency is as important as the freedom of voting for the candidate of voters’ own choice. The process also calls for ample security and level playing field to the contesting parties and the candidates. According to the available statistics, 31 political leaders and their supporters lost their lives before the election campaign could officially get underway. The security threat perception in different provinces was different, ranging from political to racial to ethnic to tribal and so on. The threats by Tehrik-e-Tlibaan Pakistan (TTP) to three political parties virtually kept them out of campaign process. While both the PPPP and ANP couldn’t hold big rallies or jalsas, the ANP candidates were, most of the time, confined to their houses and they were deprived of door-to-door canvassing and even the houses of some ANP candidates were attacked. On the other hand, some right-wing parties openly held incessant rallies daily. These parties run their campaigns vigorously. The caretaker government and the ECP remained quite oblivious to this denial of a level-playing field to the contesting parties. For a credible election, it is always imperative for the caretakers and the election commission to provide an enabling environment where the candidates can personally meet people and where the voters are able to freely cast their votes.
Despite PPPP, ANP and MQM virtually stayed away from the usual electioneering, and complaints of rigging, the unprecedented turn out across the country has been welcomed by all segments of society and foreign countries alike. Defying all the threats, the people of Pakistan rejected the bullet to show the power of ballot, and proved that the democracy is not contrary to Islam as per their belief. This strengthens the national consensus that democracy is the best system for Pakistan.
Campaign and Public Issues
When compared to the previous elections and the prevalent political culture, the electioneering for May 11 general election remained lacklustre to a great extent. This, particularly, has three explanations. The code of conduct issued by the Election Commission that proscribed the banners, posters, panaflexes and billboards exceeding certain size marred the charm of traditional campaign. Secondly, the strict implementation of articles 62 and 63 kept huge number of candidates in waiting till the final approval by the election tribunals.
Thirdly, the turncoat culture, that has plagued our political system, kept the political parties confused because not awarding ticket to a certain person could trigger the change of loyalty. This delayed the award of tickets to the prospective candidates and consequently campaigns were not kicked off in time. One glaring example in this regard can be the case of Ayaz Amir from Chakwal who announced supporting a PTI candidate soon after PML-N denied a ticket to him.
The Real Electoral Battle
An assessment of the outcome of election process in Sindh wasn’t much complicated question given the urban’ rural divide as well as certain personalities’ stronghold in their constituencies. The electoral outcome in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has surprised many pundits. Imran Khan’s PTI emerged as the largest party in the province; the ANP couldn’t attract sympathy votes for the brutal killing of its leaders including Bashir Bilour, and got routed; JUI-F could muster some support base in certain parts of the province; the PPP failed in retaining its influential personalities like Senator Waqar Ahmad Khan, Anwar Saifullah Khan, Faisal Karim Kundi, and others; whereas PML-N proved its invincibility in Hazara Division. Balochistan, too, has drawn lines on tribal and local basis. The Punjab province witnessed pitched electoral battles, primarily between PML-N and PTI. The central Punjab in general and Lahore in particular, were unpredictable till the final results were announced. However, the PML-N bagged almost all the seats in Lahore.
Conclusion
The threats and challenges posed by terrorism put the electioneering on the back foot to some extent but the process was not hampered in absolute terms. The vacuum was aptly filled by media that conveyed the parties’ messages to public. The entire world was expecting a credible election as per the democratic norms. The European Union, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) of the United States, the Commonwealth, Malaysia, France and the United Kingdom, etc. sent observer missions to Pakistan. Then came the day when the people of Pakistan spoke loudly and gave their verdict.
The first-ever transition from one civilian government to another will enhance the trust of international community in Pakistan. This will also boost confidence of the state institutions within Pakistan like the Supreme Court, the Election Commission, and the armed forces that they can fulfil the daunting tasks as they have shown by holding a free and fair election. A confident Pakistan is definitely going to be strong enough to cope with all the internal as well as external situations.
