AFTER the six-party alliance, JUI(F) of Maulana Fazlur Rehman has also launched its protest campaign against the alleged rigging in the general election describing the Government has ‘fake’ but the ground realities as highlighted by the outcome of the by-elections to national and provincial assemblies’ seats reflects increased trust of the masses in the existing setup and the policies being pursued by the PML(N)-led coalition. The PML(N) has a point to celebrate the electoral win as it bagged most seats in the by-elections in sharp contrast to its lacking performance in almost all the by-elections held during the last two/three years, especially those conducted after assumption of power by the coalition government after a vote of no-confidence against the then Prime Minister.
By-elections were held for five National Assembly constituencies, twelve Punjab Assembly seats, two seats of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and two seats of Balochistan Assembly. A highlight of the by-elections was that despite their allegations and grievances, almost all major parties with stakes in the system fully participated in the electoral process giving legitimacy to the exercise. The elections were marred, at some places, by violence, which should be a source of concern for all the political parties, that, otherwise, claim to be torch-bearers of democracy but are not giving much importance to tolerance and mutual accommodation. While PTI, as before, is raising hue and cry on the pretext of ‘repeat of the rigging’, PML(N) leadership and workers are rejoicing over their victory as the party won 12 seats besides two seats won by its coalition partners IPP and PML(Q). PML(N) was facing troubles even in its stronghold of Punjab but the proactive governance of the first woman Chief Minister of the province Maryam Nawaz apparently succeeded in reviving the glory of the party as it not only retained the seats it originally won during the general election but also defeated PTI candidates on other seats. Previously, the PML(N) suffered in successive elections because of the bitter pills it made the masses swallow in the name of saving the country from an imminent default. However, people-friendly policies and programmes of the Punjab Government have helped change perceptions in the province and now people are viewing the policies of the new government with optimism and as a beginning of a change for the better in their lives. It is also a reality that the federal government, led by Shehbaz Sharif, has also avoided taking any drastic measures to antagonize people and instead the leadership is transmitting positive signals to the masses. That is why the Prime Minister, in a statement, has described the success of the candidates of PML-N as recognition of the revival of the economy, decrease in inflation and improvement in foreign affairs by the government. He believed that the public opinion is changing prominently with economic improvement and relief to the people, adding the predictions of international financial institutions, news organizations and surveys about economic improvement have a positive effect on the people. The outcome of the by-elections in Punjab must be a frustration for the PTI as it could not achieve even a single victory in the country’s largest province and one of its stalwarts Ch. Pervez Ilahi lost with a huge margin against the candidate of PML(Q). The performance of PPP in Sindh and indications of PML(N) gaining some ground in Balochistan as well also point to the growing trust in the coalition arrangement and its policies. The results of the by-election show people still have faith in the electoral process and are not keen to respond to the calls of the opposition for protest. In fact, attempts to topple the elected government through pressure tactics and that too in the first few months are highly deplorable. People have become weary of protests and violence and instead of wasting their time and energy on negative pursuits; all political parties should join hands to reform the economy as well as the political system. Luckily, we have a President and a Prime Minister, who firmly believe in political reconciliation and all parties should seize the opportunity to forget the bitterness of the past and move ahead for the sake of the country.
