This letter refers to the article ‘Reliving a historical blunder’ (January 4, 2023) by Husain Haqqani. Although Pakistan has, in my opinion, never seen truly free and fair elections, we came very close in 1970. This time around, the pre-polls atmosphere is rather muted and election campaigns have not really taken off. Meanwhile, the judiciary appears to be playing a very active role in deciding the course of the elections as almost every day there are cases being heard relating to elections one way or the other. The hope is that this will keep the nation on the path to elections and ensure that all parties get some kind of ‘level playing field’.
The young eligible voters born in 1990 and onwards have little knowledge of the history of Pakistan, for the most part, at least not to the extent that previous generations who lived that history do. However, the younger generations are also not tied down by the baggage of the past and can help the country start afresh. Hope is the key to success and the new voters can finally help bring prosperity to Pakistan.
Anas A Khan
Edmonton
Canada