Daily Times

Sir: Free and fair elections are one of the essential prerequisites for true democracy. It is Pakistan’s misfortune that she has rarely witnessed a free and fair election since its inception. The horrendous hurdles in the forms of the influential feudal lords, dynastic politics, lack of accountability, biradri based social setup and a majority of ignorant voters who are unaware of the power of their vote have contributed to this.

It is a bitter truth that in Pakistani society, elections are won by “power”, or by hook or by crook. It is a grave threat to the existence of democracy. Fake representatives come into power through illegal means and loot the nation’s wealth. It is not only against the spirit of democracy but is also fatal to democracy itself. It is beyond me to understand why this curse continues to plague our nation.

The silence over this national issue raises many questions on the loyalty of various individuals and bodies towards our homeland. Some political parties in general and PTI chief Imran Khan in particular have been striving for the resolution of this grave issue since the last general elections in 2013. Almost all leading political parties raised objections over the fairness and transparency of the election. The PPP termed the elections as the ‘RO’s elections’.

The destitute, the ignorant ones and the socially, politically and economically exploited ones become easy prey for the political vultures who get themselves elected by the use of ‘force’. Some sell their votes at the cost of Rs 500 or for a handful of edibles. This trend has worsened the situation. To ensure true democracy and to secure the future of our coming generations, here is a useful suggestion.

It is about time that the government, all political parties, the election commission of Pakistan, civil society and all other stake holders played their respective roles in introducing the bio-metric system in Pakistan like developed nations do in the current digital era. This has minimised flaws in developed countries to a satisfactory level and has ensured fairness and transparency in polls to a great extent. I hope the bio-metric system will be introduced in 2018’s general elections. Billions of rupees are being spent on mega developmental infrastructure projects in the country.

I hope there will be adequate funds for the bio-metric system. The country needs a bio-metric system for transparent polls more than the infrastructure currently being developed. Nations do not make progress and do not develop under the leadership of fake leaders who come into power by illegal means.

AW FARHAN JAGIRANI

Sukkur

Published in Daily Times, July 12^th , 2017.