A circle of deception

With all the distractions that have made an unsettling impact on the people’s mind this week, including the tremors that were felt across the northern part of the country on Friday night, the elections on 48 seats of the Senate are building up as a real political thriller. The process is in motion, with the polls to be held on March 3.

In normal circumstances, this would be a predictable exercise, since the electoral college consists of parliament and the provincial assemblies. The only suspense would be the choice of candidates by the leading parties. But our politicians certainly do things differently, particularly in the context of buying and selling loyalties.

Besides, the Senate elections this time are being held in an exceptionally charged environment. According to the logic of numbers, Imran Khan’s ruling PTI is set to make large gains and strengthen its parliamentary position for the remaining half of its present term. But there seem to be some rumblings within the ranks of the party and the PTI is striving to get the voting mechanism changed so that there are no defections in a secret ballot.

At the heart of this controversy is, of course, the concept of transparency and the preservation of established democratic values. Contesting opinions have emerged during the hearing in the Supreme Court on a presidential reference and the debate on the issuance of an ordinance. Serious questions are raised on whether an important election could be rigged.

As a surprising twist in the tale, video clips have been released by unknown sources that show a number of PTI MPAs from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accepting thick bundles of cash before the 2018 Senate polls. Naturally, these clips that are hazy and silent have become viral. What had happened was already known and Imran Khan, in a welcome move, had expelled 20 of his MPAs for being involved in horse trading.

These clips, that were repeatedly shown by news channels this week, are kind of an indictment and support the argument for an open ballot. But the opposition leaders talk about issues – a trust deficit – arising within the ruling alliance. There are some hints of defiance, particularly in Punjab. Concerns have been raised about some candidates and the criteria used for their selection.

Watching the clips of a clandestine deal in which thick pads of money are being exchanged must have muddled the thoughts of ordinary citizens about the ‘business’ of electoral politics. It would not be easy to read the messages that these clips and allegations that surround them have delivered at the popular level.

In addition, the politicians who are seen in these clips belonged to the party of Imran Khan, a leader whose charismatic appeal is based on a promise to eliminate corruption from politics. Then, there are various versions of what had actually transpired and what other characters were in the wings, so to say. We may expect more stories to come out.

Yes, this episode belongs to the previous Senate elections three years ago when the PTI was in power only in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Now, for two-and-a-half years, Imran is at the helm. His campaign against the corruption of the previous rulers has held the country spellbound. There has been a ceaseless and obsessive pursuit of accountability.

So, how have things changed in this period? One scary finding is provided by Imran himself. He said that the price of one senator has gone up from fifty to seventy crores. The harsh winds of inflation have affected the business of politics which, we had always known, is a game with very high stakes.

Taking the Senate elections as a point of reference, our present view of the national landscape seems very dark. There is a need to decipher the overall drift of the nation in terms of its moral bearings. We have to understand whether this ‘Naya’ Pakistan is laying the foundation of a political system that is more transparent, more accountable than before.

If there is a change, what is its direction? One should concede that big transformations do not take place in a short time. There was a time when we were promised wonders during the first one hundred days or the first three months of this regime. Now a five-year term is believed to be not enough, betraying a lack of understanding of the democratic evolution of a country.

In any case, there ought to be an objective assessment of the situation that is developing in Pakistan. When it comes to the process of accountability, we should not ignore the fact that Pakistan has lost four spots in the Corruption Perception Index of Transparency International. In the report released two weeks ago, Pakistan was at 124 out of 180 countries.

Evidence of another kind was provided by the agitation in Islamabad of government employees for an increase in their salaries. Wednesday will be remembered for the scenes of a clash between the police and protesting employees, with thick clouds of tear gas floating in the air. It seemed so unreal. But it exposed the capacity of the administration to deal with a genuine protest, born of genuine grievances of a wounded segment of society.

There was another scene this week that portrayed a great tragedy in our chapter of law and order. A group of lawyers became unruly in Islamabad on Monday after their offices were demolished in a campaign against encroachments. There have been other shameful acts of our lawyers becoming lawless, but this time they held the chief justice of the Islamabad High Court hostage for several hours, after vandalising his office.

Just imagine the significance of what this means. IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah has shared his experience in a letter to the Pakistan Bar Council and the Islamabad Bar Council. He compared the incident with the attack on the Supreme Court in November 1997 – and termed it even “more grave in nature”. Here is a verdict for us to interpret and understand.

The writer is a senior journalist.

Email: ghazi_salahuddin@hotmail.com