Using data to tell the story

An activist judiciary has entrenched fear that if caught, govt officials can quickly find themselves under microscope

In the topsy-turvy world that is Pakistan, stories can change in an instant. Whether a source you have recants, even official statements can change, openly contradicting previous statements. But where a story holds true is the irrefutable data within.

The Pakistan Peoples Party spent Rs125 billion in the name of development between 2008 and 2013. Released through the discretionary funds facility to MNAs and MPAs for development works in their constituencies, the real purpose of such expenditure was to secure votes for the next elections.

They failed.

For all the money that the PPP spent, it only lost votes. They have argued that they suffered because militants targeted the party on the campaign trail, or that the elections were not entirely fair, but the numbers show that the people were not swayed by their feeble attempts to ‘buy’ votes.

Former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf spent Rs1.67 billion. He was rejected by the voters.

Another former prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, spent Rs0.43 billion. But the expenditure was in vain as it did not help him return to the assemblies. Another PPP federal cabinet member, Firdous Ashiq Awan, spent Rs1.1 billion to garner votes, but was unsuccessful.

Now, it seems, is the turn of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. Accused by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf of widely rigging elections, it has had to produce the data to prove its claims. Whether or not the data holds up to scrutiny remains to be seen, data, in the end will help prove whether the elections were rigged or not.

An activist judiciary in recent years has further entrenched the fear that if caught, government officials can quickly find themselves under the microscope, or worse, out of a job.

It is no wonder then that many government sectors are shy of releasing data.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 15^th, 2015.