Daily Times

There should be a method to madness. With not one, not two, but a staggering 90 per cent of the nomination papers filed by the PTI rejected in the scrutiny process, it is becoming increasingly hard to turn a deaf ear to the shrill alarm bells. An undeniably strong message was sent to its incarcerated founder Imran Khan, who was shown the door by RO in not just Lahore, but also his home constituency, Mianwali.

Considering the spree of refusals raining down in all directions, the statistics for the current election cycle would make a riveting read. Did the election machinery stick to its unsaid rule of crossing over an average of 10 per cent of the total papers filed? What on God’s green earth could possibly go wrong with the documentation of more than 30 well-known, household names that have been a part of Pakistani politics for decades? Every masterstroke by the election commission would go down in history as a naked, unprecedented example of bias. The ongoing acts of omission and commission are only enthusing a new life to one major political party’s claims of being erased as a political entity. But while only the ordinary men and women of Pakistan had the constitutional freedom to pick and choose who they wished to see as their leader, their commander, their representative before the world, high-handed tactics by the authorities are quite effectively creating a sympathetic audience.

From the looks of it, we have long missed the merit express by a long shot, and, as always, heated emotions will emerge as the winner. How could Mr Khan be rejected on the basis of disqualification if PML(N)’s Nawaz Sharif’s application was entertained despite not having won relief from a lifetime ban on contesting in elections? At such a crucial juncture in time, when all energies should be diverted towards questioning the political parties about what they intend to bring to the table, both the masses and the media are perpetually mired in the credibility quagmire. Only a sensible approach by the Appellate Tribunal can restore confidence and authority in the upcoming round of general elections. The well-wishers of democracy can only hope that these appeals will be acknowledged in the realisation that only a truly elected government can spell an end to political instability and work towards economic prosperity. Let the people cast their vote in free and fair elections. *