Holding back democracy

The Punjab government must do all it can to ensure polls are held as quickly as possible.

Following a decision by the Lahore High Court (LHC), which stated that the Election Commission of Pakistan, rather than the government, should carry out the task of delimitation required ahead of local government (LG) elections, the PML-N government in the province does not envisage these elections being held till 2019. The government has noted that the clauses in the Punjab Local Government Act pertaining to the delimitation process would need to be amended. The actual delimitation exercise would also take time. The PML-N has also moved in the National Assembly that LG polls should, in fact, take place after a national census. This census, it believes, cannot take place for several years given the law and order situation in the country.

Under pressure from the Supreme Court, the polling for local bodies in Punjab was due to go ahead by the end of January 2014. The long delay that now may occur would be highly unfortunate. The Punjab government’s decision that it will not be appealing the LHC decision in the Supreme Court also tells us something about the state of thinking prevailing in the province. The set-up is obviously not eager that local-level polls be held. A delay till 2019 would enable it to better secure its position, ward off the threat from the PTI which has established itself as a force in the province and complete development plans. It is also true that right now, gas and power load-shedding has brought its popularity plummeting down.

But the main issue here is that five years is too long a wait; far too long. The conduct of LG polls and the establishing of local bodies is vital to the democratic process and the welfare of people who would benefit from these institutions coming into place. The provincial government in our largest province must do all it can to ensure polls are held as quickly as possible, rather than manipulating matters to delay them in a move that may serve its own interests but would badly hurt those of the people. The people must come first.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd, 2014.

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