PTI on the horns of a dilemma

ISLAMABAD: Will the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) contest or boycott the by-elections to fill the Sindh Assembly seats, which fell vacant by the acceptance of resignations of its lawmakers by Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani?
At the height of its sit-in protest last year, the PTI had decided not to formally field its candidate in the October 16 by-poll for a Multan National Assembly seat, which was vacated by the resignation of its former president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, but had fully supported an independent contestant, Malik Aamer Dogar, who had won.
The reason behind its boycott was that it did not want to be part of the present assemblies, which in its view came into existence as a result of massively rigged elections in 2013. It rather struggled hard for months to get the legislatures wrapped up paving the way for fresh polls.
However, in last September’s by-election to Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assembly seat, PK-68, the PTI had sponsored Ihtesham Javed Akbar, who had won. It had celebrated its victory atop the sit-in container at the D-Chowk Islamabad. Boycotting one by-election and participating in another reflected a gross contradiction.
It is not ruled out that the PTI may decide to take part in the Sindh by-elections. However, if it took such a decision, the by-polls will become a very interesting affair and will be fiercely fought. The PTI core committee will shortly take a decision to this effect. However, it is required to arrive at a conclusion in the next few weeks whether or not to participate in the Sindh by-polls. It has around a month to take a decision if it wishes to jump in the electoral fray. Under 224 (4) of the Constitution, when, except by dissolution of the National Assembly or a provincial assembly, a general seat has become vacant not later than one hundred and twenty days before the term of that assembly is due to expire, an election to fill the seat shall be held within sixty days from the occurrence of the vacancy.
Direct poll will be held for only two vacated general seats and indirect election will be organised for the one special seat. An election tribunal had disqualified PTI winner Syed Hafeezuddin (PS-93 Karachi) on the charge of poll rigging and declared Jamaat-e-Islami nominee Abdur Razzaq the winner. The decision was challenged in the Sindh High Court (SHC), where it is pending disposal. Because of litigation, the by-poll for this seat may be stayed.
According to the tribunal decision, it was proved beyond an iota of doubt that Hafeezuddin had managed to induct two private persons Dr Jumman and Aftab Anwar as presiding officers by introducing them as government officers and by convincing or misleading the Returning Officer (RO), using fake documents. Hafeezuddin also took help of these fake government officers at two different polling stations to reflect increased votes against his name in the forms sent to RO. Relevant government departments confirmed to the tribunal in writing that no person with such names worked with them.
The decision said that a lady government officer also helped Hafeezuddin by reflecting his votes from a polling station as 1,400 while on the same polling station only 148 votes were polled for the National Assembly constituency NA-241. Razzaq presented to the tribunal all the evidence regarding rigging.
When the PTI was showing some willingness and was looking for an excuse to go back to the assemblies, the Sindh speaker unseated its lawmakers, confusing the party. PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi has now even stated that party legislators will end boycott of the assemblies after a Supreme Court judicial commission to investigate the poll rigging charge is formed. Thus, it has given up its condition that it will continue its boycott till the findings of the commission are finalised.