Partisan politics

The recent cantonment board elections have once again bared the fact that our so-called mainstream political parties are mere regional entities. The results of the elections have proved their failure to rise beyond their traditional support base.

As ever, Sindh and Sindhi speaking people went with the PPP; PTI’s citadel stayed intact in Pakhtoondominant K-P and Pashtun belt in Balochistan; and the PML-N remained entrenched in areas where Punjabi speaking population reside. The PTI did form governments in Punjab and at the Centre after the 2018 general elections, but it was unable to penetrate the core of the country’s biggest province — even in the many byeelections held later.

But, by beating the PML-N on a Punjab Assembly seat (PP-38) in the Sialkot bye-election some two months back, the PTI managed to send a strong signal that it may have been down but is certainly not out. Slogans like ‘All eyes on Punjab’ and ‘Punjab the battleground’ have dominated the election scene in the country ever since the separation of the country’s eastern wing in 1971.

In fact, the election battle in Punjab has become more significant than the country itself — in some instances. The all-important verdict by Punjab was anxiously anticipated even in the cantonment elections so as to see which way the wind is blowing. The results were to provide some kind of insight on whether the PML-N has the potential to bounce back in the next general elections; or for that matter, the PTI will continue to garner mass support, especially in view of its tussle with the ECP, its stance on EVMs, and the PM’s persistence with Usman Buzdar despite the heavy criticism on his performance as Punjab CM.

It’s safe to say that the cantonment elections results are a setback for the PTI — well, in the province that holds the key i.e. Punjab. While the ruling party was routed in the bastion city of Rawalpindi, it also terribly failed in Lahore where the PML-N proved its clear dominance. The PTI also conceded the edge it had gained in Sialkot through the recent bye-election victory, to the PML-N. The one-page wonder appears to be losing its appeal towards the PTI — at least in case of Punjab where the PML-N has proved itself to be number one by far. It hardly leaves any doubt that if the PML-N manages to navigate through the political riptide caused due to its problematic narrative, it will be unstoppable.

While in K-P the PTI secured nearly half the seats, its support in South Punjab and Karachi is eroding — if the cantonment poll results are any guide. The PTI got less than a third of the total constituencies in Karachi where there are large settlements of Pashtuns — a majority of whom are ardent supporters of Imran Khan. The results in the country’s financial capital show a scattered support for PTI, MQM-P and JI which is evident of the political scene being open for all after the downfall of the Altaf-led MQM.

However, in the neighbouring Hyderabad city, which is less multiethnic, the MQM-P knocked out all its opponents. And, as has been the tradition, Balochistan is left hung, with its seven seats shared between PTI, BAP and Independents. While the PTI has proved its political presence in all four provinces, it is unfortunate that other, much older mainstream parties like the PPP and the PML-N could not stretch their foothold beyond interior Sindh and GT road, respectively — mainly due to their bigoted approach in policy measures, like in selection to key party posts. Sadly therefore, major political parties are rendered much like ANP, BNP, PTM and MQM — all regional and subnationalist parties.

Even religio-political parties like JUI — and JI too — have dominant ethnic support. The results are a proof of the polarisation — based on ethnicity and political and religious ideologies — running rampant across the country. But being most perilous for integration of state, ethnic divide must be a genuine cause for concern. The onus is surely on to the political parties to move towards doing away with the prevailing polarisation.