Post-election political ‘instability’ haunts all top politicians

ISLAMABAD: Barring an important exception, there is universal consensus among top most politicians and discerning people that political stability will be far away from Pakistan after the July 25 general elections.

They are in accord that political stability leads to economic stability that Pakistan direly needs without loss of a moment, considering its precarious conditions. They agree that economic stabilisation is a must straightaway otherwise Pakistan will plunge in further deep troubles.

However, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan doesn’t share the opinion of all senior politicians that political stability will be missing in Pakistan after the parliamentary polls, which, they claim, will be questionable because of different reasons. They demand the level playing field for all and sundry so that no contestant can raise accusing fingers on the process.

Imran Khan is of the firm view that all the economic ills Pakistan is beset with simply because of the rules of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and ex-President Asif Ali Zardari over the past few decades will evaporate in the thin air as he would be voted into power.

He also feels that most of Pakistan’s grave problems have been automatically resolved by the eviction and conviction of Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam and his son-in-law Capt. (R) Safdar. He is thrilled over the former premier’s ouster from the electoral arena and is certain to win at the husting.

Among top most political stalwarts, Jamiate Ulemae Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman has repeatedly stated that the elections will not spawn political stability for a variety of factors. He urges sanity so that the polls do not become controversial.

Awami National Party (ANP) President Asfandyar Wali has also held the view that there will be no political stability in the wake of the elections, which otherwise should improve the conditions.

Nawaz Sharif’s common refrain is that Pakistan will be gripped by a serious crisis because of the machinations being adopted to check and hurt the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). He strongly calls for level playing field for all political parties so that the electoral results are accepted by all and sundry and political stability is created.

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq too apprehends chaos and anarchy due to different schemes being resorted to on the eve of the upcoming polls. He says all tactics to damage one political party and benefit another should be stopped forthwith.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) supremo Asif Ali Zardari holds no different judgment. He has stated that the forthcoming elections belonged to the “angels” and that efforts are afoot to make Imran Khan win the polls. “There is a clear message for me in the arrest of my accountant. Had I been close to the establishment, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) would not have picked up the courage to nab prominent banker Hussain Lawai.”

All the politicians, who fear rising of spectre of political stability consequent upon debatable elections, bandy about this line owing to the prevailing conditions and circumstances in the run up to the polls. They also blame the caretaker government, which, they say, has failed to ensure fool-proof steps to create an environment in which every political party feels that it has equal opportunities to freely contest the polls. They are critical of preferential treatment being extended to the PTI.

Consecutive elections generally produce political stability worldwide as the exercise dispenses with political confrontation and leads to resolution of nagging national problems and controversies. It is the opposite in Pakistan, at least as per the assessments of top politicians.

An apt example that the polls in Pakistan have hardly brought about political stability for different reasons, mainly due to the refusal of some political forces to accept the electoral outcome particular their defeat and crying hoarse accusing manipulations emerged in 2013 when the PTI chose the rigging mantra. This created immense political mayhem in Pakistan throughout the tenure of the PML-N government.

It will be highly unfortunate and bad luck for Pakistan if the calculated opinions of all senior most politicians about the absence of political stability after the elections come true. Keeping in view their determinations, there is an urgent need for the concerned people to infuse confidence in the situation and take credible steps to remove the apprehensions so that the homeland doesn’t suffer further.

Among the relevant institutions, the Election Commission of Pakistan and the caretaker government have a major responsibility to use whatever powers they have to exercise in order to dispense with the grievances of certain political figures.