Ending speculation over polls

Since last week’s condemnable attack on Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, rumours have swirled about the timely conduct of general elections in the country. This is hardly unusual because every time the country in on the verge of an important exercise, a glut of conspiracy theories float around. From legislative houses to drawing room chats, people have been narrating imaginative theories.

Just a few months back before the Senate polls, the authors of these theories were downbeat about elections for the upper house ever taking place. No one was able to offer any cogent reasons for the possible delay, except citing a perceived tussle between the ruling PML-N and the powers that be.

Even a few days before those polls were held, these rumour mills were churning. Full time in fact. Finally, the polls for 52 Senate elections were held and a new house was sworn in - on time.

The quality of Senate elections is debatable amid allegations of horse-trading and vote buying and selling. But all these allegations are related to weaknesses in our political system, mainly lack of democratic values within political parties and the moral deterioration witnessed in the society.

In fact, there were no procedural flaws in conducting these polls on the part of the election authorities. All the political leaders who levelled allegations of selling and buying of votes were called by the ECP to provide proof so that election authorities could take action. No one could substantiate his/her allegations with documentary evidence. This does not mean that the March 3^rd Senate polls were free of any kind of malpractice. Apart from PTI, no other political party conducted any tangible in-house accountability of this egregious trend.

If political parties would have taken notice of such shameful practices where MPs sell and buy votes, such anomalies would have been avoided. This was not the first time the issue had come to the forefront. Similar accusations however varying in intensity are made every time the Senate polls are held.

The top leaders of all political parties have been saying time and again that they want timely holding of general elections in the country. If all political parties are unanimous on this, it should not leave any doubt that general elections will be held by the end of July 2018.

In spite of apparent consensus among the mainstream political parties on timely elections, it is unfortunate that rumours of a delay continue to swirl. Political parties should help quell such rumours and discourage those voices which cast doubts and create confusion. In fact when political leaders start giving ambiguous statements themselves, it adds to the climate of speculation.

There are no technical or legal reasons for postponing the election. All pre-requisites of holding the polls are in place and things are running as per schedule at the ECP. The electoral lists have been updated. New delimitations have been notified. District returning officers, returning officers and assistant returning officers have been notified.  Out of around 0.85 million field staff hired from different government departments for election duties, training of around 0.6 million officials has been completed.

To provide financial resources, the federal government has earmarked special election-related allocations for ECP. The ECP has already procured material to print the ballot papers.  Going through these preparations, there seems no hitch at all in holding the elections on time.

If there are any hidden reasons, which political parties are aware of, they should join hands and defuse such nefarious designs and give a loud and clear message to all quarters. Condemnation of the attack on the interior minister across the political spectrum is a welcome sign. No political group tried to justify the gory action.

Democracy is an evolving process for which continuity and smooth transfer of power is important.  Only through such continuity will a new system take root in which there will be no room for doubt.