Daily Times

Approximately six years later, the general elections in Pakistan were conducted smoothly, and discussing the overall situation during the elections, peace and security prevailed. Credit goes to our armed forces, police, and every institution that played its role in ensuring peaceful elections.

Millions of soldiers deserve congratulations who left their homes on the day of the elections to maintain peace so that the people of Pakistan could exercise their right to vote feeling secure. Before the elections, there were concerns raised from several constituencies about the deteriorating law and order situation in Baluchistan and KPK, so the elections were postponed for a while. However, during the corps commanders’ conference, Chief of Army Staff General Hafiz Syed Asim Munir made it clear that the elections would not be postponed under any circumstances, and the Pakistani Army would fulfil its responsibilities according to the directives of the Election Commission. They proved this statement true on the day of the elections.

Millions of soldiers deserve congratulations who left their homes on the day of the elections to maintain peace.

As a political and social activist, I believe these were the most peaceful elections in Pakistan’s history. There were no reports of clashes among political parties or attacks by party leaders on each other. Therefore, I understand these elections as the most peaceful in Pakistan’s history, for which our institutions deserve credit. As a responsible citizen, I cast my vote and observed that during the voting process, election officials also cooperated diligently. There was no sign of rigging, and the staff was well-trained. Government officials cooperated with voters to the fullest extent possible, ensuring that no citizen’s vote went to waste.

It was said that people would not come out of their homes, and some elements were propagating against institutions on social media to discredit the election process. Despite this propaganda, all institutions ensured the certainty of the election process, and supporters of all parties were present at the polling stations. Despite the large turnout, the electoral environment remained peaceful, thanks to our police, rangers, and young soldiers from other security agencies. People had voted before, but they had never seen such a transparent and peaceful environment before. Voting and electing any political candidate are our national duty, and the manner in which this duty was performed has exposed the propaganda of those who were sitting behind computers and mobile screens acting as enemies of the country and speaking the enemy’s language.

As citizens, we all want our country to prosper, our country to progress, and our children to live in a bright future. For this very purpose, the democratic process has been maintained. Now, it is the responsibility of the politicians elected through our votes to consider the sentiments of their voters and fulfil the promises they made during their election campaigns. Because it is said about politicians that they make promises to build bridges for the people in places where there is no river, it is not talking about false promises. Action can be taken on those promises that the Constitution empowers them to fulfil. The people have voted in hope, for health, for education, for a better future, for happiness, for progress, for the revival of the economy, for honest rulers. Now, the elected representatives have the responsibility to provide health facilities, promote education, and play their role in reviving the country’s economy.

Here, I must say that those political figures who were saying that the people would not be allowed to exercise their right to vote freely, the way people came out on 8th February and stood in long queues to cast their votes despite the harsh weather, and people did not care about the hardships of the season, it shows people’s confidence in the democratic process. It is the duty of politicians to maintain this confidence and not to start the cycle of blame and fraud again. The noise of corruption that we hear after every election, where the party that always loses accuses that it has been cheated, there should be no such thing again, and they should give each other a chance and develop the courage to tolerate each other. The secret of the country’s progress lies in unity, and if the same cycle of blame and propaganda starts again, the democratic process for which people came out to cast their votes on 8th February will become a mirage.

The writer is an old Aitchisonian who believes in freedom of expression, a freelance columnist, entrepreneur and social activist.