The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) took note of the murders, firing and injuries and bad law and order situation that created harassment for voters and must have discouraged many from casting their votes. The ECP was surprised at very little response and assistance from the administration in tracking some 20 presiding officers who went missing overnight. The spokespersons of the party that has all along claimed the moral high ground meanwhile tried to explain away the incidents as common happenings in every elections. The ECP’s verdict declaring the Daska by-poll null and void and ordering action against government officials found responsible is a major step towards establishing the credentials of the ECP as an independent institution that possesses the will to execute its decisions with firmness and courage.
The use of government machinery by the PTI administration to create well-orchestrated lawlessness in NA-75 has dented Prime Minister Imran Khan’s self-projected image of a champion of righteousness and transparency. Mr Khan’s lieutenants contradicted themselves within hours of the decision, promising first to accept, unlike the PML(N) and PPP, they said, whatever verdict was delivered by the ECP, then for a short while taking credit for the freedom displayed by the it and finally staging the all-too-familiar about-turn by challenging the verdict in Supreme Court. This proved once again that the PTI leadership is yet another practitioner of realpolitik.
Establishing the ECP’s credibility is no ordinary job in a country where no election, besides the one in 1970, has gone undisputed. For this the ECP will have to establish its moral authority through verdicts that are widely seen to be just and impartial, and having been delivered without bending to pressures from powerful circles. The Chief Election Commissioner will have to resolve issues that have remained unsettled so far. Despite the presence of laws regulating election expenses, no CEC has succeeded in implementing them, thus allowing Parliament to gradually turn into a billionaire’s club. There is an absence of an effective system to efficiently resolve election disputes with the result that petitions remain unsettled for years. One hopes that the ECP will enjoy the support from all concerned quarters, including the superior judiciary, as it deals with the hurdles on its way.
