By-elections Analyses
So far as the previews, proceedings, results and the expected auspicious, suspicious or portentous outcomes of the 17th July’s by-elections are concerned, it is sad to opine that the multidimensional facts and analytical approaches have not been considered, and herd opinion is being miserably followed by various political analysts and TV anchors who are drifting away the common rut to an island of make-beliefs, confusions and irrationalities. Above and beyond, the results and the picture they have painted is not very simple, but a shady one and has put forward various unanswered questions and unsolved mysteries.
The first and the foremost element, in this connection, is that the by-elections on the 20 seats of a provincial assembly are literally the “by-elections on the 20 seatsof a provincial assembly” and have nothing do with the regime change, civil revolution in a country’s sociopolitical horizon, constitutional variation, major shuffling in the existing or hovering political parties and stakeholders, or an upheaval to drag a country to politico-economic chaos. The above-mentioned scenarios can be the wishful thinking of the anti-social elements, or can serve as fuel to the media for igniting pseudo-excitement, morbid-sentimentalism and media hype to befool most of the people on most of the occasions, in order to spur their revenue generation. If a poor nation, during the span of historic global recession and poverty, spends a lot of money on holding by-elections only for the sake of getting a new Chief Minister who will dissolve his own assembly right after swearing-in and will force all the other federal and the provincial assemblies to be dissolved immediately for holding fresh general elections, it is a matter of grave concerns and mourning. This stupid and illogical logic to dub this by-election very important and decisive for the country’s future is absolutely tragic.
By all the yardsticks of democratic norms, political customs, statutory bindings, and, above all, the constitutional limits, it is exceedingly illogical, absurd and illegitimate to advise or opine that the Federal government must be dissolved and a fresh election schedule may be announced immediatelybecause the central government is null and void beyond the geographical confines of the federal capital after this 20-seat elections’ results. Are you mad? It is a crazy translation of the subject elections’ results that the PTI is the most popular political party of the country, on the basis of winning 15 out of 20 seats, vacated by his own 20 members after being de-seated, in the biggest province, and all others have been removed from the scene or rejected completely by the masses of all the geographic regions of Pakistan. The notion that only Imran Khan is the man to rule over all the provinces and centre after the 18th July is nothing but a pathetically woven allegory.
When the masses massively vote for the PML and PPP, the votes or the public mandate is thrown aside with this malicious notion that the people are illiterate and ignorant and their opinion is rubbish; the elected Prime Ministers are dethroned and humiliated on the falsely fabricated charges by a handful people equipped with dictatorial executive, judicial or armed powers. When Imran Khan claims that only he is the man with the piety and morals and all others are villains and must be jailed or destroyed, he is alright because he has the support of the masses, although less than that won and maintained by the above-mentioned parties and their leaders, on his back. When he asserts that all the institutions, along with their caretakers must be removed or abolished immediately because he does not like them, he is quite right because a small clan or cult worships him. When he says he hates the constitution, the parliament and the democratic privileges of the nations, he is so true because he has his fan-club behind him. What a height of satanic hypocrisy and savagery!
One must keep in mind, here, that IK is still not able to get his own Chief Minister in the Punjab and is dependent, as a cripple, on a small party with 10 seats. Factually speaking, the PTI does not have majority in even Punjab and you claim the whole population of Pakistan is with the PTI. The more painful veracity for the PTI is that even their collision-led government, with Pervez Elahi on the driving seat, will be perching on the risky and feeble branch of 5-7 seats’ difference. There are many areas of the country where the masses are traditionally devoted to their smaller ethno-lingual or religious parties, and the PTI will never be able to win a single seat out of the twenty if you repeat the same exercise there. Will it define that the PTI is removed from all the 7 assemblies of Pakistan?
Let us have a glance at the anti-Lotaism myth. All of these candidates are seasoned politicians and electable figures and they were desperate to leave PTI and implore for PML tickets as their constituency folks and voters were annoyed with them for being the part of a failed and unsuccessful PTI-led government that could not address their domestic issues as well. They jumped into a rocky and tempestuous coastal line and compromised their luxuries and benefits associated with the sitting government’s ship, only for the sake of their voters’ wishes and, of course, own political future that seemed to be secured with the PML (N). Moreover, ten of these MPAs won their seats as independent contestants after defeating the PTI’s strong candidates, in the general elections, and it shows that their voters were their determined and devoted supporters in the struggle against all the political parties. So, the anger of the voters of these independent members must have been at its peak at that moment when they joined hands with the PTI against the will of their voters and supporters. Above all, the most significant, but the least discussed, fact is that the PTI, too, awarded tickets to the personalities that were from PML (N) as per their previous political affiliations and nominations in the last general elections, but they have won their seats in this by-election. So, it is quite a hard notion to chew and digest that the voters rejected them for their action of leaving the PTI and Imran Khan and joining the category of the Lotas (the renegades or turncoats).
Besides, the victory on 15-16 seats is immensely surprising for the PTI leaders and supporters too and it has been discussed by them in their informal and personal meetings with the journalists. It was their fear of losing the majority of the seats that made them start a preemptive campaign against all the state institutions and to create grounds for further spree of agitation-centred politics, sit-ins and protests. The PML (N) is an experienced political party and had its governments in both the Punjab as well as the centre and still it miserably failed to maneuver the elections and the voters to forge a big victory as per the expectations of the political pundits and the surveys. If Mr. “X”, Mr. “Y” and all the state institutions, too, were supporting the PML and conspiring against the PTI, as per the hue and cry of the Imran Khan and his company, how such startling and jolting results emerged that baffled the masses out of their wits and raised the state of despair and frustration of the PTI circles to the level of euphoria. Is it a surprise or upset only? The whole spree of apparently maligning the state institutions might have been a smokescreen used by the PTI to dodge the masses and the actual game-plan might have been totally opposite to it—–making Imran Khan win the polls at all costs. The highly unjust cares and backing conferred upon Imran Khan by the multiple state organisations, in the recent past, drive us to certain suspicions. The time will unveil the facts because it always has to.
