In its report regarding the events necessitating a re-election in NA-75 Daska, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has revealed that there was a “pre-planned scheme” to alter the result of the contest held back in February. It states that the investigation has revealed sufficient evidence to confirm that a number of polling officers, police personnel, the district commissioner and prominent political figures of the ruling party were all involved in the orchestration of stealing an election. Additional details surrounding the episode paint a picture of a diabolical scheme to gain undue advantage by the PTI whose candidate faced almost certain defeat, up against a PML(N) candidate who was contesting on her recently deceased father’s seat. Perhaps the only silver lining here is that the ECP, otherwise considered a toothless institution with the reputation of being subservient to the leadership in power, finally showed its mettle as an independent regulator and did its job. That it is clearly determined to take this case to its logical end is also commendable. The report comes at a time when the PTI and ECP are at loggerheads with each other, with the former publicly accusing the head of the latter, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of being on the take. The ECP is backing down from a fight, thoroughly questioning the government over its relentless obsession with the introduction of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the next general elections, while also pursuing the PTI’s longstanding foreign funding case
It seems, the Daska episode notwithstanding, a refreshed ECP is no longer tolerant towards powerful political parties using their clout to commit election fraud with impunity. There must now be no letup in this newfound vigor on part of the ECP as general elections near, setting up an opportunity to attempt holding free and fair polls for once in the country’s history. For all its talk of election reform, the government should do some serious introspection over its own conduct during elections, evidently engaging in blatant rigging that is plain to see.
