Elections in Pakistan are rarely without controversy and irregularities, given the variety of illegal activities associated with the entire process, starting from pre-poll rigging whereby electable candidates are ‘convinced’ to shift parties to ballot boxes being stuffed on election day or in some cases even disappearing, not to mention technological gaffes that provide undue advantage to one particular party. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is constitutionally mandated to ensure that all elections are conducted in a free and fair manner, which is a tall order, considering the inherent deficiencies in the electoral system and political interference in the running of the ECP as well. While many governments of the past have had their problems with the ECP for simply doing its job, the PTI is perhaps the most recalcitrant.
While its foreign funding case dates back to before it came to power, the PTI has been at loggerheads with the EP throughout its three years in power, be it over the latter’s legitimate concerns and questions over the introduction of electronic voting machines (VMs) in the next general elections, calling a reelection in Daska’s by-election for blatant and obvious rigging and more recently with federal cabinet ministers alleging without proof that the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) was on the take and that the ECP should be ‘burnt to the ground’. Its latest squabble relates to the upcoming NA-133 by-election where the ECP has rejected the PTI candidate’s nomination papers for having proposers belonging to a different constituency. The candidate, Jamshed Iqbal Chema has accused the ECP of intentionally making these changes to disqualify him from contesting the by-election whereas documentation that has come to light clearly shows that the same persons were registered at a different constituency, NA-130, in the 2013 general election as well and are yet to rectify this, that is if they want to.
That the mistake is so rudimentary in nature, one that a novice politician would be expected to make rather than a seasoned one like Mr Cheema, has led to speculation, some of which is from within the PT itself, that it is intentional, as prospects of winning the by-election are so thin, it’s just not worth the trouble and more importantly the money, to contest. Whatever the case may be, the entire episode comes across as another attempt by the PT to malign the ECP without having sufficient proof to back up its claims. Like all other parties, the ruling party must also learn to cooperate and work with the ECP while adhering to its stipulated rules and regulations.
