Daily Times

Finally, the long delayed local government elections in the Cantonment Boards were held across the country on a party basis after 17 years. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has taken the lead, bagging 68 out of the 199 seats in 42 Cantonment Boards. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) grabbed 42 to claim second place in the elections. Interestingly, independent candidates captured 55 seats. Muttahida Qaumi Movement secured 19 seats, while the Jamaat-e-Islami got seven, and the Awami National Party bagged two. Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) could secure only eight seats, which shows that the PPP has been teetering on the brink of collapse and it has lost the people’s trust. Except a few incidents of violations of the code of conduct, including aerial firing by supporters of winning candidates and transportation of voters, overall the election process concluded peacefully. It showed the interest of voters who seemed eager to have an accessible leadership through these elections. They have long been waiting for a political set-up that could resolve their petty civic problems without much hassle. The holding of these elections is a positive development. The credit goes to the Supreme Court (SC) that took serious notice of the massive delay in the completion of this much needed democratic procedure. Despite the use of lingering tactics by the government, the court remained consistent in hearing this case. The concern shown by the court in this case of public interest is worthy of admiration. Hopefully, these local bodies elections will be completed in Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as per schedule issued by the SC.

The outcome of these elections in the Cantonment Boards has given some insight into the political scenario as well as voters’ priorities. The residents of the 42 Cantonment Boards voted in large numbers for independent candidates while rejecting the mandate of popular political parties. The defeat of PPP has raised many questions about the worth of its present leadership. It means that the masses have become sick of PPP’s policies. Although the PML-N has emerged as the leading party in these elections, which may owe something to the incumbency factor, yet the number of seats secured by the PTI indicates that the latter is also taking root in the political set-up of Pakistan. The PTI has appeared to be a more forceful party during these elections. On the whole, the devolution of power at the grassroots level is a welcome initiative. There is a need of setting up a political model that should empower the locally elected representatives who could work for the welfare of their voters in their constituencies and resolve their lingering civic problems. *