Daily Times

Polls and rigging in polls are not new phenomena in the world of politics. They have a long history of universal existence. Every election has been challenged in one way or the other by the losing side. It has been a year since the May 2013 polls and those who received a mandate from the public hold their offices while the losers, primarily the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), are still beating their war drums, blaming the judiciary, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and specific media groups for their defeat. The declaration of the winner has remained a mystery. Polling is a completely opposite process to political processions and gathering crowds, and is mainly dependent on factors like population growth, age group, education, political agenda and many demographic factors. Historically, the dulcet rhetorical tone of politicians has remained a common practice in Pakistan to gain a temporary advantage on political point scoring, literally wooing the voters. Unlike other political parties, which were wiped out in the last polls, the PTI has not digested its election defeat and the wounds have not healed. Immediately after the results of the elections came out, the PTI head honcho, Imran Khan, was issued a contempt of court notice over critical and derogatory remarks he made expressing distrust in the institution of the judiciary. Since the contempt notice, the PTI chief remained on the back foot till the retirement of former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. Since his departure from office, he has been roundly criticised by the PTI chief and hence the rigging issue has been reopened.

What exactly are the objectives behind holding such a rally in the capital? Is it a strategy to weaken the government by raising charges of rigging? Describing the rally as a ‘tsunami’ is contradictory because the change the PTI was chanting about was seen on May 11, 2013. The changing agent has come. It was not the sort of change the PTI was aiming for but that does not belie the results. On the one hand, the PTI says it believes in the rule of law and on the other hand tries to resolve issues on the roads and streets rather than following legal procedures. The PTI talks about freedom of speech and holds it utterly acceptable for its chief to bash and demand stern action against a media group without providing any conclusive evidence at all. Such politicians are misguiding the nation. How could the media channel steal the electoral mandate?

In civilised nations, the media freely publishes its opinions about the possibilities of forming new governments, usually without being blamed as traitors. It reveals the duplicitous mindset of Imran Khan who praised the reporting of the media group on various occasions but is now criticising it in order to garner political support from the army. He wants to take full advantage of the tensions between the media group and the army after the attack on television anchor Hamid Mir. Now the rally is over without realising its objectives. It was more about the venting of the sheer anger held by Imran Khan for the non-fulfilment of his dream of becoming prime minister. The basic demands of the electoral process are justifiable and ought to be addressed purely within parliament. Imran Khan’s demand for the immediate resignation of current ECP members is merely an attempt to put political pressure on a constitutional institution. The members’ terms are constitutionally protected and politicians should know about the legalities within the system.

It is not just about dictating emotionally in the wake of processions to score brownie points. There is definitely a lot of room for improvement and development in the nascent democratic system but road shows and rabble-rousing are not a solution. What exactly did the PTI chief want in his address to the rally? The entire event was a political connivance and a conundrum. The PTI rally was to orchestrate an outburst and whip up anti-democratic tendencies, hurl unspecified threats and send warnings across the country. Such actions after a smooth transition of the government show nothing but a lust for power and are a sign of immature politics.

Demagoguery and protest are an alternative means to show power, which has eluded the PTI through legitimate means. Over a year after the democratic elections, blame for alleged rigging and electoral malfeasance is now being passed on to other agencies from the judiciary to media houses, with no proof. It behoves a personality of Imran Khan’s stature to gracefully accept his defeat and acknowledge the great setback his vaulting ambitions have suffered, and instead try to analyse the reasons behind his electoral defeat, find out what went wrong and correct the deficiencies in his policies, objectives and approaches. It would also be a good thing if he adopts a pan-Pakistan agenda agreeable to all sections of society and all geographical areas instead of being Pakhthunkhwa-centred. Are you listening Imran Khan?

The writer is a freelance columnist and can be reached at janjuaharoon01@gmail.com