The elections must be held unabated
WITH the dissolution of any Assembly, the Constitution clearly states the elections must be held within 90 days. Regardless of which political agenda one supports, the Constitution of Pakistan should be upheld. Any delay in elections at this point will give the perception that democracy is being hijacked.
The Chief Justice (CJP) of Pakistan and the judiciary have made the right decision to continue with the original verdict. The back-and-forth skirmish over Election Commission jargon and technicalities – are a bit too complicated to give a play by play at this point. All of which were working in what people say, ultimately in Imran Khan’s favour.
The people gathered on judicial grounds with fervour, creating a major security situation that could have spilled over into unimaginable ways if there was any further delay in events. Which one feels can still happen. Given the clashes and the temperature of the reactive crowds leading up till the judicial proceedings these past few days there would likely be a national emergency declared should there be any more blockades leading to the given dates of May 14th 2023.
With the entire Constitution Avenue in Islamabad lined with police personnel with complete gear for combat against the crowds, it has felt apocalyptic for the past few days. The President of the country, still following the Parliamentary mode of government, would, in such a case, be forced to move towards Article 232 which is the Proclamation of Emergency on account of war, internal disturbances.
The delay in provincial elections to match the dates to the general elections in October 2023 was never a viable plan for the sitting government and it would just be their undoing. Civil unrest of an inflation infested economy and the food-water-energy multi-crisis has been redirected to the sitting government. The sheer rage amongst the people of the nation which is growing, is perhaps what the ousted populist leader known as IK, is exactly banking upon to happen.
The unrest of a population fighting to death in stampedes and riots for bags of wheat is a sign of a failed state economy and a government with no plan except to persecute its opposition. The attack on Imran Khan’s private property, the alleged assassination attempt, the rounding up and disappearances of his party supporters under different charges as well as the persecution of anybody close to him are amounting to a fascist outlook. All this is not sitting well as far as optics are concerned.
Even those against Khan, are now drawing the line at the relentless persecution. This amounts to a human rights violation chain of events of immense concern. All of this is only giving fuel to the populist leader of the PTI government, rather than deflecting or curbing his agenda; making him a political victim of non-democratic procedures.
PDM might seem to have the support of the army’s hierarchy, that has restrained them from supporting PTI, but with most ex-servicemen steadfast in their support for Khan, it is a rough indicator of what the serving personnel across the board are inclined to support.
It was predicted months ago that it was more than likely a scenario would occur that would cause a high-risk security issue. The only thing drawing out this match was the reluctance of PDM to appease the population demands to hold free elections. I would not vote for Imran Khan because I do not agree with his populist politics or even the sensationalism he brings. He is what people would term as a ‘security chaos.’
However, if this is what the nation wants, then let them have it. It will be his policies which would be apparent in due time rather than what he purports through his thorough bred media optics that will renew a failed state. Once in power, whoever wins the election game will have to prove to a smarter, more intelligent population of people who are waiting for deliverance from a poverty-stricken outlook.
The writer is a security analyst with a focus on sociocultural issues.
