The mandate stands vindicated

The much awaited findings of the Judicial Commission have been made public and all the allegations levelled by the PTI have been dismissed by the judicial body, which maintains that no substantive and corroborative evidence has been placed before it either by the PTI or other political entities.
The findings of the commission have severely dented the credibility of Imran Khan as a trustworthy political leader. No matter how hard Imran and his party may try to salvage the damage done, they will find it extremely difficult to win back the trust of the masses and present the party as a harbinger of change believing in high democratic values – the image Imran has been trying to portray from every convenient roof-top.
Ever since the launch of the campaign against rigging by Imran – a move which in itself smacked of sinister afterthought – and during the hearings of the commission, I have maintained that the way Imran Khan has conducted his campaign and levelled unsubstantiated allegations against state institutions, judges, intelligence outfits, the former COAS, ECP and other individuals with relish, he would find it very difficult to substantiate them.
The conclusions drawn by the commission are extremely embarrassing for the PTI. It reminds me of an anecdote which goes like this: A friend whispered in the ear of the other that a dog had torn apart his ear and run away with it. He asked his friend in which direction the dog had gone and started running after the dog. He kept running till he was exhausted. He could not find the dog and sat down to catch his breath. A passerby asked him why he was so exhausted. He said that he was trying to find the dog who had taken his ear. The passerby looked at him and told him that both his ears were intact. The man touched his ears and felt extremely embarrassed over his foolishness.
Somebody whispered in Imran’s ears about 35 punctures and he started off on a wild chase after the alleged culprits without bothering to ascertain the facts. It is interesting to note that a committee of his party constituted to probe into causes of the PTI defeat in elections had concluded that the major reason for the defeat of the PTI was lack of proper political strategy and preparation for the undertaking. It never mentioned rigging as the reason for the defeat.
Imran has proved himself to be immature political leader who neither has proper understanding of the prevalent political culture nor is an astute political strategist. His agitation against the government on the issue of rigging in collaboration with the PAT created doubts among the intelligentsia about the motives behind the move at such a belated stage and they were not wrong to perceive it the way they did.
The revelations made by Javed Hashmi, former COAS General (r) Aslam Beg, Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s brother and repeated claims by Imran Khan while standing on the container that the umpire was about to raise its finger, all pointed towards a conspiracy to destabilise the government and clear the way for Imran’s access to the corridors of power through the backdoor. Thanks heavens the move failed to achieve its sinister designs and the country was saved from the much-feared political turmoil that it cannot afford in view of the formidable challenges confronting it.
The Judicial Commission, at the start of its hearings, issued a questionnaire asking the 21 political parties including the PTI to come up with solid and concrete evidence to prove that the elections were stolen through systematic rigging as a result of a conspiracy and also to identify who orchestrated the said rigging and how it was implemented. The proceedings of the commission reported in the media clearly suggested that almost all the parties were finding it difficult to formulate their responses to the specific questions put by the commission to them.
Hurling allegations in public rallies, jumping on the bandwagon of orchestrated movements as a show of solidarity or using the shoulders of other to assuage political grudges can be indulged in with relish but when it comes to proving those allegations and rationale behind them in a court of law, it becomes a different ballgame altogether.
The 126-day sit-in at Islamabad by the PTI and PAT caused incalculable economic loss to the economy besides causing diplomatic embarrassment for the country due to the postponement of the visit of the Chinese president. The attacks on parliament and the PTV headquarters as well as continuous stone-throwing at the building of Geo TV by the so-called tigers of the PTI were terrible acts. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in his address to the nation on the issue was right on the money to say: “Embarrassing Pakistan in the whole world by making the fair and transparent elections controversial is a regrettable chapter of our history that will not be forgotten easily.”
Now that the authenticity of the public mandate has been confirmed, Imran should have the moral courage not only to accept the verdict without any qualms but also apologise to the nation for keeping it on tenterhooks for such a long time. The JC verdict indeed represents the triumph of the democratic forces and statesmanship. The principle of constitutionalism has prevailed over sabre-rattling – and 46 million voters stand vindicated, proving that truth ultimately prevails.
Now that the nation has emerged triumphant from the ordeal foisted on it by undemocratic forces, it is time to move forward and focus on major issues and challenges like terrorism and floods. The JC, while rejecting the allegations of the PTI, has also pointed out some administrative inadequacies in the functioning of the ECP and the procedural irregularities during the conduct of the elections which can help the parliamentary committee on electoral reforms make future elections more transparent and free of the blemishes pointed out in the report.
There is no doubt about the fact that the system of governance and elections in Pakistan needs radical reforms. It is, therefore, incumbent upon all parties represented in parliament to use their collective wisdom and energy to introduce the required changes with a view to improving the capacity and capability of the governments mandated to rule the country.
The writer is a freelance contributor.
Email: ashpak10@gmail.com