Daily Times

Hope tends to lose its path whenever the tunnel gets slightly longer. Therefore, every passing day since the vote of no-confidence added to the worries of those who held democracy dear. When would we come out of the stopgap arrangements, they wondered? The glaring failures of the PDM government in overcoming the most basic of their concerns were no less than a good old squeeze of lemon on their festering wound. As the official caretaker setup came aboard, their no-nonsense attitude towards matters of housekeeping did provide a momentary relief but the question shining ever so brightly in millions of eyes remained: when would we get back to business?

On Thursday, four months after Pakistan was originally scheduled to hold national elections, the country’s 128 million voters finally got the chance to pick their next federal government. Considering how terror outfits had resounded a clarion call of their success just hours ago, spilling innocent blood in all corners, the entire exercise appeared a far stretch, at best. Both the candidates and the voters practised utmost caution, with an attentive eye in all directions; ears open for any controversial murmurs. However, national duty trumped dire threats as all fears of minimal turnout and hollow elections vanished in thin air. People celebrated the election day as a friends and family day. Energetic voters could be seen reaching the polling stations hours in advance, bringing their parents along; high-fiving their friends and posting pictures of ink-stained thumbs on social media. All this was made possible due to timely interventions of the law enforcement authorities who acted in overdrive to foil any terror bids. There’s no denying the difficulties caused by the suspension of mobile services but if one considers the hefty cost we would have had to pay if any largescale destruction had occurred, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

National duty trumped dire threats as all fears of minimal turnout and hollow elections vanished in thin air.

As of now, hundreds of international media personnel and monitoring teams are busy compiling their reports. No matter what the headlines or the social media warriors may proclaim tomorrow, it would be safe to assume today that the election has concluded on a relatively good note. No tainted elections could allow the independent candidates to perform in their constituencies with such large numbers. Ergo, this senseless chatter of one versus all better stop.

Celebrating the fact that our armed forces did not hesitate before rendering sacrifices does not mean nothing could go wrong. As is the norm, every round of general elections carries its share of controversies. Therefore, all instances of rigging should be investigated at the earliest if the election commissioner actually believes in basking in the glory of a successful experiment. The state may have passed its test but an even bigger test awaits whoever manages to sit on the throne. Once the celebratory galas have ended, the paya dawats are done with and the soirees have settled, unprecedented challenges will befall Pakistan’s tryst with democracy. It can only be hoped that just like the institutions of defence played their part well in ensuring the entire country felt protected enough to step outside and cast their vote, the upcoming government would step into the ring fully prepared to take on the proverbial bull by its horns.

The writer is OpEd Editor (Daily Times) and can be reached at durenayab786@gmail.com. She tweets @DureAkram