Pakistan is on the brim again following the recently held inconclusive parliamentary elections which has resulted in with a wavering question mark hanging over this land of 241 million people like a political Damocles sword.
Two former prime ministers – Mian Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Imran Khan of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) – both of whom are bitter rivals and equally mired in alleged corruption, were vying for the top spot. At the influence of Pakistan’s scary spy agency – Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), Imran Khan along with his wife Bushra Bibi were forced into imprisonment on a number of questioned allegations while the entire trial process was just similar to any Kangaroo court whereas the state machinery had banned PTI along with its electoral symbol, clearly with the agenda of letting their loving blue-eyed-boy Nawaz Sharif win an easy victory. But voters in Pakistan were in the mood of seeing Imran Khan’s loyalist as victors and accordingly they had casted their votes in favor of pro-PTI independent candidates thus giving them a landslide victory.
At this stage, ISI and Pakistan’s military establishment had blackout declaration of election results, stopped mobile phone and internet communications and forced election officials in changing the results. Despite such cruel interference in country’s electoral process thus posing direct threat to democracy, Joe Biden and members of his administration are feeling shy even in issuing a statement demanding re-holding of the election and stopping ongoing repression on Imran Khan, his wife and members of PTI.
Commenting on current political situation in Pakistan, Dr Niaz Murtaza, political economist, UC Berkeley PhD/ex-Fellow and regular op-ed writer in country’s leading and prestigious English daily The Dawn wrote on his X account:
“Pakistan can’t move forward and have political stability or economic revival without resolving the issue of Form 45 vs. Form 47 discrepancies. It can’t afford a second rigged regime brought to power dubiously by the establishment after 2018. Thus, it is critical for all stakeholders to show maturity…”
Dr. Murtaza in an interview to Blitz said, “There was strong evidence of pre-poll rigging against PTI by the military which was pointed out not just by PTI but credible neutral observers globally and nationally. This included jailing of PTI leaders, forcing others to leave the party, restricting its election campaign and finally withdrawing its election symbol. Despite these tactics, PTI emerged as the largest party but short of outright majority. But PTI is now alleging that the results announced by ECP for about 40 national seats do not tally with the tallies compiled at each polling station for that seat. Such counting happens before each candidate’s agents and neutral observers and is at the end signed by all candidate agents at each polling station. Thus, it is more credible than the consolidated results announced by ECP for each seat. PTI has uploaded its copies of the polling station results for around 40 seats. It is important that this issue be checked by courts. If PTI’s allegations are true, it will have a majority in national assembly. This rigging is over and above the seats it lost due to pre-poll rigging”.
He further said, “If the current controversy is not resolved immediately, it will lead to continued political instability which will hamper Pakistan’s need for economic revival. Even if PTI does not get its demands immediately, it will have a lot of ways to cripple the new government. Its big numbers in assembly will let it cripple smooth assembly work. Its strong social media teams will unleash huge public pressure against all unpopular reform acts the new regime must take to meet IMF terms. Its huge expatriate teams will work to poison western minds against the new govt. It will look to exploit fissures between PML-N and establishment. Thus, political stability and economic revival may remain elusive”.
It may be mentioned here that, personality politics and regionalism remains a powerful force in this Muslim land created through the partition of India in 1947; A gaggle of political parties, colorful personalities and scions of family dynasties all compete in a contentious political landscape.
Yet the Pakistan Army remains the ultimate kingmaker. A Pakistani blogger jested: The Pakistani Army has Never won a war, but Never lost an election.
The quip reflected Pakistan’s three lost conflicts with neighboring India over the disputed Kashmir region.
Imran Khan remains a wildly popular populist whose PTI party or Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Pakistan Movement for Justice) would have likely won the parliamentary elections. Actually, he did, given that his barred candidates running as “independents” scored 93 seats beating the government party.
Pakistan’s military backed the Sharif government in what appeared a slam dunk to win the elections. After all the country’s most popular figure Imran Khan was jailed by the government on a plethora of trumped-up politicized charges and thus barred from running. Khan, a former world-ranked cricketer, and London playboy, turned to politics founding the PTI.
