Contrary to the widespread concerns expressed by different segments of the society about the security situation, it is a matter of satisfaction that barring stray incidents of terrorism and violence, general elections 2024 were held in a comparatively peaceful manner prompting civil and military leadership to congratulate the nation on this achievement. Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, whose institution played a lead role in this regard, has congratulated the whole nation on the successful and smooth completion of the polling process.
Similarly, Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar said this momentous occasion is not just a testament to the resilience and strength of our democratic processes but also to the indomitable spirit of the Pakistani people. The Pakistan armed forces also felicitated the nation on the “generally peaceful and violence-free” conduct of the general elections, expressing hope it would serve as a “catalyst for further strengthening democracy in Pakistan.” Fears and apprehensions remained there throughout the period of electioneering when some precious lives were lost in terrorist attacks but credit goes to all stakeholders for the peaceful conduct of the polls. Therefore, the Prime Minister has rightly appreciated the efforts of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), interim provincial governments, the armed forces, civil armed forces, police, law enforcement agencies, election staff, media and all those institutions and individuals who contributed to the conduct of the free and fair elections. There is no denying the fact that electioneering was not as enthusiastic as it had been in the past elections but the turnout of voters on the polling day was high indicating commitment of the people to the democratic process and shaping the future of the country. It is also to be noted that people demonstrated maturity and no effort was made to take the law into one’s own hands. For this, one must give credit to the political leadership, which conveyed a clear message to their workers and sympathizers to exercise their right to vote while remaining strictly within the bounds of law. Some circles also tried to make the entire electoral process controversial even before the polling but it was because of the comprehensive and satisfactory arrangements made by the Election Commission that there were no credible complaints about rigging or difficulties to people during polling. It was also encouraging to see that under instructions of the Commission senior citizens were given priority during casting of votes, which was in line with our cultural values and teachings of Islam. While peaceful and successful arrangements for polling was an achievement in itself,
it is deplorable that it came at a cost – nation-wide blackout of mobile phone services and Internet, a development that came despite earlier assurances by different governmental authorities not to do so. There were also assurances that the blockade, if necessitated because of security threats, would be for a particular area but it was implemented in a blanket manner. It is a reality that disruption of the services created not just election-related problems for voters, candidates and media but also compounded the woes of the general public in their routine life. It has rightly been pointed out that internet shutdown on the polling day not only limited the citizens’ access to information, “but also voters’ abilities to confirm their voting details through SMS”. Media-persons were among the worst sufferers of the suspension as they faced immense difficulties in the discharge of their professional responsibilities in the absence of mobile and internet services. We have been emphasizing in these columns, time and again, that Pakistan has tremendous potential to prosper at the strength of its IT potential but whimsical suspensions of services every now and then on the pretext of security are sending a negative signal to existing entrepreneurs as well as prospective investors.
Policy measures and incentives to bring about a revolution in the IT sector would not work until and unless there is a revision in the existing approach towards suspension of mobile and Internet services in the name of security.
