ECP, like any other state institution, is just as inefficient as any other organisation in the country
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani nation may have been fooled once or twice, but this cannot be done all the time. The pathetic performance of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is emerging as a grim reminder that, perhaps, systematic rigging was indeed the main reason behind the debacle that the May 2013 general elections are turning out to be. This is a scary thought and yet to be proven, but what one can conclude is that the ECP, like any other state institution, is just as inefficient as any other organisation in the country — it may just be another white elephant devouring our nation’s scant resources.
The results in the three prized seats of NA-154, NA-125 and NA-122, have all been declared null and void. Hats off to the election tribunals and my salutations to Imran Khan. His infinitely protracted dharna stands fully justified now. There is a glimmer of hope for our next generation that the prevalence of truth and justice may just be around the corner. It is also a wake-up call to all those who think nothing of looting and plundering the country. In the latest saga of the NA-154 constituency, it was shocking to see that out of 218,056 votes cast at 290 polling stations, 122,133 (almost 60 per cent) had blurred thumb prints due to the unavailability of the proposed magnetic ink. It is akin to saying that a PIA flight was permitted to take off, loaded with sub-standard fuel based on some flimsy excuse. Shame on you, ECP, for all these irregularities and mismanagement, and wasting our nation’s precious resources. Additionally, around 20,600 votes were cast based on invalid CNICs. This election might have been free, but it was certainly not fair. The icing on the cake was the disqualification of the PML-N’s Siddiq Baloch from contesting any future elections because of his fake degree. Why wasn’t he screened prior to the elections, when Pakistan is, arguably, the largest fake-degree producing factory in the world? Judging from the body language of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, he never looked confident from day one as he took the keys of the PM House for the third time.
Having said this, it would be unfair not to acknowledge the good things the PML-N government has managed to do while in office. The metro project is a success — fingers crossed, that no financial irregularities are revealed. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has huge potential and could prove instrumental in turning the country around. The biggest accolade is the massive improvement in the law and order situation. So, well done Nawaz Sharif. I just hope the PML-N realises that it can do equally well in elections held in a free and fair manner.
Danish Aftab
Published in The Express Tribune, August 29th, 2015.
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