ISLAMABAD:
PTI must be congratulated for sweeping most of the 20 seats in the Punjab by-elections held in July 17. An adequate number of voters participated and overall the process went well. Moreover, in the history of elections in Pakistan, yesterday was the first time that a losing party conceded defeat even before the announcement of the results by the Election Commission of Pakistan. This welcome new gesture is commendable and augurs well for the next general elections.
The practice of alleging rigging and fraud by the losing party is counterproductive and needs to end. Hopefully, it has, though I hesitate to be too hopeful. Now, another thing that our politicians must learn is patience. Once a party is elected, the opposition must wait until the next elections instead of harbouring conspiracies to topple governments. They must realise that elections cost billions of rupees and every time a government changes, the economy takes a huge hit. Without trying to fix the blame, they must agree on some ground rules or it would be impossible to get out of the economic quagmire we are in. Every time a government is forced out, the new party struggles to grapple with an ailing economy — rupee slides, stock market crashes, and inflation spiral out of control. Therefore, it is about time that our politicians not only accept defeat with grace but also vow to show patience and let the winning party complete its term.
This will keep non-political forces at bay and help build the economy as well as democracy in the country. I am hoping that, if the miracle of accepting defeat can happen, our politicians can finally learn a thing or two.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 25th, 2022.
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