Delay in polls?

There seems to be a change of heart on the timeline for polls. It looks as if it has been decided to delay the upcoming general elections on the pretext of holding them under the merits of new digital census results of 2023. And the necessary support has come from the Council of Common Interests (CCI) which has approved the results of the census and hinted at ensuring fresh delimitations that could lead to going over the board in terms of mandatory elections in 90 days. The fact that the CCI under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and all the four chief ministers, as well as other members of Cabinet, was ‘unanimous’ on such a decision makes it a prologue of delay in elections.

There is much water flowing down the river, though. The approval of Census 2023 is yet to transform into a roadmap for delaying elections. The PPP had opposed any delay in polls, and one of its veterans is on record having said if there is a delay, there has to be a policy justification. Likewise, the MQM is non-committal as earlier it had expressed reservations on the human count in urban areas. Last but not least, the ambiguous approach of the Balochistan government at the CCI, and the tongue-in-cheek comments hint at disarray in taking a firm official decision. The pendulum, nonetheless, has to swing either way before the tenure of the parliament comes to an end on August 12. This catch-22 situation is fraught with consequences as delaying polls, and once again undermining the constitutional spirit, will come with a perpetual cost of political capital.

Census 2023, meanwhile, has posted immense challenges in terms of reorienting the country’s policy fabric. The nation has been counted at around 245 million, and apart from its impact on electoral canvas, it will have grave ramifications on disbursement of national resources. But as an immediate concern, the CCI’s exigency moot and its perturbed line has raised questions of compliance. Political parties must be seen on one page to take a call on the destined day of the ballot.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 7^th, 2023.

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