Row with ECP

This apology has come at the right moment

The ensuing row between two cabinet ministers and the Election Commission of Pakistan seems to have come to an end as an apology was tendered in all humility. Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry climbed down the ladder and apologised for his upbeat narrative. The information guru, along with Railways Minister Azam Swati, was on a war front with the constitutional body over a plethora of assumptions on the proposed electoral voting machines, especially the conduct of the latter in a number of bye-elections. The strong opinion against the Chief Election Commissioner was not only unwarranted but was also in bad taste. But the fact that both the ministers were representing a political party too, and had to play to the gallery made the difference and landed them in rough waters. Perhaps, this is why Chaudhry observed that his statements were not his own, rather he was acting as a mouthpiece of the government.

The heat had taken a nasty turn as the Prime Minister, while chairing a meeting, had directed his party stalwarts and Cabinet members to rally behind the two ministers at odds with the ECP. It got more absurd as the same ministers were inducted into a reconstituted parliamentary panel on appointment of ECP members. Chaudhry and Swati are facing allegations of committing contempt of the election commission and were duly served with notices, too. This was politics of brinkmanship, and inadvertently underlined the exigency in the ruling party’s rank and file.

It is, nonetheless, a good omen that the controversy is coming to an end. This apology, however, has come at the right moment. While the treasury was contemplating getting legislation pertaining to electoral reforms passed from a joint sitting of the parliament, silencing of the guns with the ECP comes up as the right approach. It will, at least, settle the dust on reservations from both the sides, and enable the poles of executive and legislature to dispense their duties amicably. Here comes a dictum too and that is to respect the independence of constitutional bodies and their autonomy to exercise powers in the ambit of law. Indulging in a spat for political point-scoring is literally offensive.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 18^th, 2021.

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