Election 2018

The campaigning is over, the candidates have had their say and today the people of Pakistan should get to use their right to have their say. Democracy, we have always been told, is based on the principle of one person, one vote and Election Day is supposed to be our chance to make our voices heard and decide the direction the country should take. This time around, as we go into what has been called the most controversial election in Pakistan’s history, there are analysts who argue that choices have already been made. Others, of course, maintain this is entirely inaccurate – but what we know for certain is that the series of ugly allegations, counter-allegations, disputes and rows which preceded polling day have not helped the social or political environment of the country.

Compared to the 2013 election, even the 2008 election which came in the wake of the tragic killing of Benazir Bhutto, the mood is far more cynical. This contrasts with the enthusiasm and joie de vivre we saw in the previous two elections. Violence continued through the run-up to Election Day. There have been multiple disqualifications, some on what legal experts term very tenuous grounds, along with what is to many the seeming targeting of one political party, as well as strange political defections. As far as the electoral process goes, the decision by the Election Commission of Pakistan to ban voters from carrying cell phones into polling stations has also been widely criticised. In an age of viral videos, the cell phone could have been the most potent tool to check any wrongdoing. At the last minute, the ECP also announced that political parties would only be permitted to send women polling agents to women’s polling booths, something some mainstream political parties have seen as a way to prevent them from witnessing the voting process at these booths.

There have been other reasons too to be worried by what Election 2018 brought with it, foremost among them the mainstreaming of extremist groups which somehow managed to make it to Election 2018 as political players. We saw proscribed parties and extremist groups becoming power brokers whose endorsements were sought by candidates from all political parties. We also saw extreme rightwing parties being allowed to contest these elections. At the same time, militant groups like the TTP and IS inserted themselves into the election by targeting mainstream political candidates. All said and done, Election 2018 is here – and going ahead. While most analyses and opinion polls have shown that the main contest is between the PML-N and the PTI, there have been two differing analyses on the outcome. Where most surveys that have been conducted suggest it is probable that no party will win a clear, decisive majority, leading to a hung parliament – which brings its own set of problems – we have also heard analysis that predicts the PTI leading with a vast majority. Sadly, through the campaign there has been very little focus on the agenda of parties and what they wish to deliver to the people, the largest chunk of time spent on attacking opponents, often using the most vile language. This too has not been a tradition we have seen on this scale before. Our most fervent hope at this point is that the election today will proceed peacefully and without violence.