MAULANA Fazlur Rehman, the head of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and President of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUIF), said on Sunday not elections but stabilization of the national economy was the need of the hour. Addressing the media in Sahiwal, he said all the political parties in the PDM alliance were always ready for elections, but betterment of the economy was a matter that should be addressed first.
It seems that Maulana is on a mission to mould public opinion in favour of delaying the general election further as he is offering justifications for the purpose. A day earlier, he argued that it would not be possible for voters to come out of their homes if elections were held in January (as already indicated by the Election Commission of Pakistan), a point which he re-emphasized on Sunday in Sahiwal. Of course, in a harsh winter voters’ turn out would be a problem but this is not enough justification to postpone the polls that have already been delayed. If people can carry out their routine activities in winter they can definitely make it to the polling station to cast their votes and efforts can also be made to designate buildings nearest to a locality as polling stations. It is also intriguing to demand stabilization of the economy before holding the general election as it is a vague concept and a distant possibility based on what we witnessed during the last few years. This logic also means the present setup is more competent than the expected elected government which reflects poorly on the ability of the politicians to deliver. Instead of running away from elections, politicians and political parties should evolve their roadmaps for economic recovery and provision of relief to the masses.
