Ensure fairness for all

PTI is in for long legal battle as it plans to knock at doors of superior judiciary

The PTI is in for a long legal battle as it plans to knock at the doors of the superior judiciary. The Election Commission of Pakistan may not have a credible defence for its apparently discriminatory treatment of arguably the most popular political party. A timeline of its ostensibly controversial steps are a case in point. Friday’s decision to nullify the intra-party elections of the former ruling party and deny it to contest the upcoming elections on the symbol of ‘cricket bat’ has virtually thrown PTI out of the February 8 election fray. The policies of the top poll supervisory body blatantly make a case of partisanship towards a particular party, and this is unbecoming of a constitutional body that is supposed to ensure free, fair and transparent ballot.

The ECP’s decision for many was the writing on the wall, as the PTI was arm-twisted to hold intra-party elections within a timeframe of 20 days, which it obliged. The point is that the intra-party poll of no other party was subjected to such meticulous scrutiny. None of them was asked to re-conduct its intra-party election, and there is no registered record of parties exercising the same in our chequered and dynastic political trajectory. Though the PTI, whose leader was incarcerated, obliged with the Commission’s desire, and stepped down from the chairmanship to pave the way for a ballot, the rejection of results and snatching of the symbol has done damage to the ECP’s image. All this activity is being read by the electorate in the midst of instances, such as snatching of nomination papers from PTI aspirants, and an unprecedented crackdown on it going on for the last many weeks. This does not bode well for transparency of elections, and its legitimacy will surely come under question.

The relief, nonetheless, from the Supreme Court granting bail to former Prime Minister Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the cipher case has come as a pleasant surprise. Notwithstanding its execution, which is all set to be delayed and denied assuming that the leadership is booked in a plethora of cases, it has revived hopes for a level-playing field. The point that the learned three-member bench of the apex court has severely castigated the ECP and lower judiciary for not being ‘fair’ to the PTI, and directing them to address the complaints of harassment of its candidates has pitched the future politics on a fulcrum.

PTI has been under the wrath of authorities since its ouster from power in April 2021. However, it persevered in the face of unprecedented efforts to intimidate its leaders and workers with the aim to unravel the party. This policy of pushing a political party to the wall must come to an end, in order to bless the country with political stability. It is incumbent upon all political parties to unite on a single point of allowing level-playing to all, thereby enabling the electoral process to come through in all fairness. This will be a great service to the country and the future of our beleaguered democracy. Let all be in for a prosperous and united tomorrow.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 24^th, 2023.

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