Elections on time

Author:

Sir: These days, people are asking only one question: will the elections be held on time or not? The speculations over any delay in the elections are being discussed on television talk shows and each person has their own slanted view on this matter. The answer to the other question, about who will benefit from the delay, is not so obvious. Everybody is just making wild guesses and is accusing every party and person under the sun. The handing over of Gwadar port to China has been seen in this context also. Some analysts are pointing a finger at the US as well. All these analyses are based on lack of any concrete evidence. We must refrain from shifting blame towards foreign involvement in our affairs for that is just presumptive of us. We are reading too much into this matter. Considering the deteriorating law and order situation in the country, rumours are being spread. The government and the election commission have assured the people that the elections will be held on time but some miscreants are disrupting the political process. They do not believe in democracy and are expressing their discontent. To hold free and fair elections is a monumental task. In this atmosphere, the delay seems natural and imminent. However, all the political parties and their leaders want these elections to be held on time — finally there is a general consensus on something.

Election day will be a historic day for the people of Pakistan. It is hoped that this will set a trend for our political process to move in a positive direction. This will strengthen the democratic system. All suspicions will disappear into thin air. Both the election commission and the interim government will be responsible for holding free and fair elections. Clearly, the movers and shakers, outsiders and entrenched parties would like to destabilise the country to postpone or delay the elections. They will certainly benefit from such a development. The other beneficiaries can be the vested interests that wish to change our policies. A majority of the parties want elections to be held on time. We should not spread rumours to benefit our enemies.

HASNAIN ALI BANANI

Karachi