Uncertainty no more

With general elections less than two months away, the usual buzz of electoral campaigning has been missing. Where are the slogans? Where are the posters? Where is the usual done-to-death rhetoric? Political parties have an answer: they say they are busy finalizing the lists of candidates for the upcoming elections in order to allot tickets to them and that the delay has been due to the delimitation process since many constituencies have been changed altogether.

From the PML-N’s frequent parliamentary board meetings to Bilawal Bhutto’s rallies across the country to the PTI’s virtual jalsa on Sunday, political parties can be seen making noises but we are yet to see their manifestos and proper campaigns.

This could of course more than partly be explained by the sheer uncertainty that surrounded the elections in themselves, many still doubting whether they will even take place or not. But now with the Supreme Court’s ruling that no objections can be raised on the delimitation process after the announcement of the schedule for the upcoming general elections, political parties are now under no doubt that general elections will take place on February 8, 2024. Last week’s SC decision also had a role in ending this uncertainty to a large extent and with caretaker interior minister Sarfraz Bugti’s resignation to contest the upcoming polls, many political analysts saw it as a clear sign that elections are now taking place. It should be of some concern that it took the apex court to intervene for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to first give election dates and then the election schedule. Bugti’s resignation and the comments after also show how dysfunctional this system is where there is always uncertainty lurking around the corner.

It is expected that following the ticket allocation process and nomination papers’ submission, we will see election campaigns in full swing next month in January. From the PPP’s Latif Khosa formally joining the PTI to Sarfraz Bugti joining the PPP, we are seeing new alliances and defections – a pretty good sign that election season is here. A report by the ECP has revealed that the number of registered voters in the country has crossed 128 million; the number of male voters has increased to 69,263,704 individuals while the number of female voters stands at 59,322,056 – the ratio of male and female voters in the country stands at 53.87 per cent and 46.13 per cent respectively. However, now that things are finally settling down for good and we know the official number of voters, we expect all political parties to unveil their manifestos so that the electorate can make an informed choice. We have seen some movement from the PPP in this regard but it is important that all political parties unveil their manifestos – it is easy to make rhetorical speeches but the electorate will hold parties accountable to their manifestos after the elections if they fail to fulfil their promises. The people of Pakistan need to know the policies of all political parties when it comes to the economy, education, environment, foreign relations, democratic values, human rights, free speech, and other important issues. At a time when the upcoming elections are marred by many controversies, we need to see a roadmap that these political parties have in mind for a stable and prosperous Pakistan. In particular, and as we have emphasized before in this space, we would like to see all mainstream political parties make population planning a manifesto promise.