Next election to test how PTI safeguards its citadel — K-P

The party’s support base is unlikely to be fazed by the narrative being built against its leader

PESHAWAR:

Despite the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) repeated attempts to force a general election this year, nothing transpired except a couple of by-elections which they comfortably won.

Hence, in the upcoming year all eyes will be on the PTI to see if it can keep riding its popularity wave to a general election. Even if the PTI cannot muster a two third majority as it has repeatedly claimed this year, over the past decade, in two successive tenures, it has managed to solidify its support base in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and it remains to be seen whether the opposition parties in the province will dent their popularity.

Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, President of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), does not think the opposition parties in K-P have the capacity to do so. “There will not be any significant shift in the province as Imran Khan popularity amongst K-P’s populace is well insulted,” Mehboob opined, adding that even if he were to be disqualified the people of K-P would still vote for the PTI. When asked if the former prime minister’s disqualification was imminent, Mehboob replied that cases like foreign funding and Toshakhana are already a thorn in the PTI leader’s side “and he might get disqualified because of them.”

Mehboob was of the view that albeit the disqualification would not have an effect on K-P, it would cause problems for the PTI in other provinces. “Regardless of what transpires, 2023 will be a monumental year for Pakistan’s political landscape. The way I see it, political parties are likely to up the ante and political polarisation will increase further,” Mehboob predicted. On the other hand, Mosarrat Qadeem, who has previously served as the information minister in K-P’s caretaker setup, was of the view that regardless of who is in charge the people of the province will suffer due to the rapidly deteriorating security situation, lack of reforms in the education sector, and inefficient governance. “Even in the PTI’s decade long rule of the province, our institutions have not seen any meaningful transformation. Perhaps the health sector has seen some progress but apart from that our systemic issues remain,” said Qadeem.

While Qadeem did not opine on which political party would form a government in the province in the near future, she said that all stakeholders needed to come together to address K-P problems. “Corruption is still a major issue in the province and no one seems to care about it. Similarly, there is a disinterest in implementing the laws passed by the provincial assembly,” Qadeem remarked, adding that it was regrettable that laws like right to information and protection against harassment had not been put into effect yet. “Only across the board accountability can improve the situation for K-P’s populace and that will only come if all political parties unite in asking for it,” said Qadeem while talking to The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2022.