ECP — from high expectations to growing doubts

ISLAMABAD: There are high expectations from the all-powerful Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold free, fair and transparent elections but the present pre-polls environment is not satisfactory for two of the three largest political parties in the country.

While the PML-N top leadership is losing hope for free and fair elections, the co-chairperson of the PPP too doubts that the polls will be 100 percent fair.

Following electoral reforms package approved by the last Parliament, the ECP is all-powerful and even has upper hand as against the caretaker government. However, some recent events show that there are still some other players who are influencing the election process. In the opinion of some media commentators and election observers, the ECP needs to do much for the provision of even-playing field for all the political parties besides addressing the concerns of many about the allegations of political engineering.

But now after PML-N’s Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif and the PPP’s Asif Ali Zardari expressed their doubts about the fairness of the elections, the challenge to hold the elections fairly and freely becomes bigger for the ECP.

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was the first one to have said that hopes for a free and fair elections were dying slowly as the PML-N candidates were being forced and threatened to either stand as independents, join Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) or go to another party.

Sharif feared that repeat of Senate election was being played and “a similar Sanjrani model” was being followed. Nawaz said that a new political group of independents was being formed and brought together under the symbol of “jeep”.

Interestingly Asif Ali Zardari, in his interview to Geo on Monday, not only doubted the fairness of the elections but spoke in a manner that he appeared like endorsing all points raised by Nawaz Sharif.

Zardari said, he didn’t see elections to be 100 percent fair. He was not expecting political stability as a result of the 2018 elections, and predicted that a “Sanjrani” character would be made the prime minister.

The symbol of “Jeep” also raised Zardari’s eyebrows as he said that candidates with Jeep symbol would be in a dictating position after the July 25 elections. He believed that independent candidates will have an important role in the making of next government, and lamented that some of PPP leaders in Punjab also opted to contest the elections as independent candidates.

As the PML-N sees a threatening message for its candidates following the arrest of its candidate from Rawapindi Raja Qamarul Islam, the PPP’s co-chairperson said that the of late arrest of his affiliate from his hometown "is an act with a message" for him.

The former president said that a message was given to him through the arrest of Ismail Dahri from Nawabshah. The PPP leader further said that Dahri was a small landowner and was involved in political canvassing in the area.

He said, "Ismail wouldn’t have been arrested if I had struck a deal with someone. In fact, there would have been arrests on my directions.”