Ballot is stronger than the bullet

There are many claiming to be parents of Elections 2013 (which, by and large, have been transparent). The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) states that it was due to its policies and efforts that elections became a reality; there are those who believe that the army played its role in allowing democracy to continue for five years despite hiccups; there is an opinion that the judiciary’s decision relating to correction of electoral rolls made free elections possible; the media poses as the champion of democracy and states that it created election fever, which enabled people to vote in such large numbers. All institutions, no doubt, had a part to play, but the real owner of these elections are the people of Pakistan, who endured an era of bad governance without revolting so that democracy did not get derailed, and then peacefully, yet forcefully, exercised their will through ballot boxes.

The positive side, first and foremost, is that the Taliban’s bid to destroy democracy in Pakistan by unleashing a wave of terror has been foiled by the sheer will and courage of the people. I am reminded of the saying by Abraham Lincoln that “the ballot is stronger than the bullet”. Armed with a strong mandate, the new government can now mount an effective counter strategy against militants. Secondly, people have shown that governance matters and any new government will now have to perform for the people’s welfare or else be booted out. We are sure to see positive activity in the country. Thirdly, the PTI led by Imran Khan has come out as a possible third option. Its greatest contribution is that it managed to attract voters from all over Pakistan.

But the tsunami touted by the media never came. There was no repetition of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s 1970 wave when it was said that the people would vote even for a pole as long as it represented the PPP. Unknown candidates fielded by the PTI (with the exception of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa) received a drubbing at the hands of candidates from established political families. The voting pattern has shown that our people are still conservative and do not want a change, at least right now.

Experts say that the awam has given the mandate to Nawaz Sharif. I disagree. The vast majority of those who won from the PML-N are winning candidates who have won many times before from one party’s seat or another. One candidate who has been a parliamentarian four times, first on a ticket from the PPP, then the PML-N, then the PML-Q and now again the PML-N, remarked: “We have an established vote bank. Combination of our votes with some additional votes of the party in whose favour the wind is blowing is a sure recipe for success.” Sharif acted with political foresight in awarding tickets to electables. Although some were critical and called this lotacracy, wisdom told Sharif that all will be well once the numbers were achieved. This was visible almost immediately. The fact is that people have largely rejected the PPP, having become sick of power outages and rising prices, but have still voted for candidates with big names. Even the big guns have only lost against traditional rivals. Had the PML-N fielded PTI candidates and vice versa, results would have been different.

What we have achieved through these elections is historic and something to be proud of, but the PML-N will have to address the feeling of deprivation in the smaller provinces and, despite being a majority, should form a coalition government with some representation from other parties representing other provinces. At the same time, the PTI has its task cut out. It must try and form the government in K-P and silence critics who say that it has no experience in governance.

The words spoken by an unknown young boy celebrating the PTI victory on the streets of Peshawar struck me. He was asked why he voted for change and he said: “All we want is education and peace.” We expect at least five governments to be formed in Pakistan with different political heads, and this theme of education and peace should be central to their performance. We have to now watch and see.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2013.