Daily Times

The people of Pakistan are on edge. Circumstances have brought them to the very end of their patience and if there is even a hint of duplicity during the 2018 elections, or talk of voter manipulation, then the public just might rise up in protest.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (ZAB), the first truly elected prime minister (PM) of Pakistan, was impressed by the political wisdom of the masses, and believed that due to the subcontinent’s long history of submission and political activism, our public is hardwired to make their feelings known if they feel they have been wronged in any way.

In 1946, the Muslims of India voted for Jinnah, in defiance of the religious right. Then, during the free and fair elections of 1970, they voted for change. It was then decided by the people in power to manipulate the subsequent elections in order to get more ‘positive results’. Many Muslim majority countries around the world have fallen victim to these tactics, like the six fake elections that Hosni Mubarak used to rule over Egypt for over thirty years, between 1981 and 2011.

However Pakistan is not Egypt. None of the dictators that have ruled over the country have lasted more than a decade in power — namely Ayub Khan and Zia-Ul-Haq, the only two people to rule for that long. Pervez Musharraf almost made it to a full decade as well, while Yahya Khan had to step down within two years after the infamous Eastern Pakistan debacle.

Mao Tse-tung led an armed struggle to liberate his country, while Imam Khomeini instead focused on massive street protests. The end result, however, was the same, as they both managed to dismantle the colonial structures of governance, which had been in place in their countries for years

Pervez Musharraf is currently being tried under Article6 of the Constitution and if he is convicted then he faces the maximum penalty. The results of this case will have a great impact on the future political stability of the country, as the nation heads to one of the most important elections in its recent history.

The twentieth century was full of upheavals. Major revolutions like the Bolsheviks in 1917, the Chinese in 1949 and the Iranians in 1978, as well as the two world wars, in 1914 and 1939, resulted in a heavy toll on human life. These incidents managed to change the very face of this world, and had a lasting impact on the prosperity of nations across the globe. In comparison, the 21st century has remained relatively calm, with only a few such minor incidents taking place so far.

As the world changes, the influence exerted by individual countries also goes through a dramatic shift. As the people of Pakistan continue to be oppressed by those in charge, the only viable solution left would be to fight for their rights, or forever live in servitude.  Mao Tse-tung led an armed struggle to liberate his country, while Imam Khomeini instead focused on massive street protests. The end result, however, was the same, as they both managed to dismantle the colonial structures of governance, which had been in place in their countries for years.

The current political scenario in Pakistan is quite volatile. The majority of the protesters that took to the streets after the 2013 elections were first time voters. These people will now be more experienced, and better prepared to identify any underhanded tactics that parties might use to skew the results in their own favour. The resulting backlash might lead to even more instability in the country.

The current caretaker PM, Justice (Retd) Nasir-ul-Mulk, presided over the commission that investigated the 2013 elections. He pointed out serious irregularities across the board, but eventually let the Pakistan Muslim League — Noon (PML-N) off the hook too easily, even though four of their candidates were disqualified because of the investigation.

History tells us that in Pakistan, fair elections are more of a myth than a reality, and almost all of our past elections have been adversely affected by allegations of fraud etc. Punjab, which will be the main battleground this election cycle, is essentially the PML-N’s home base, and their main source of power, and there is no way they will not exert their authority in order to benefit themselves. They have been known for using underhanded tactics in the past and the caretaker government, as well as the ECP, need to work diligently in order to combat their influence. The police will have a deciding role to play in the upcoming elections as well, and they should be kept away from the voting public so that they can’t use intimidation to make them change their votes.

Like Fatima Jinnah’s supporters who encircled the police station during the 1965 elections in order to keep the police from influencing voters, we too need to unite against such despicable activities and let the elections run their course.

The writer is former chairman Pakistan Science Foundation. He can be reached at fmaliks@hotmail.com

Published in Daily Times, June 13^th 2018.