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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Imran’s staying in state of denial a disservice to PTI

By Muhammad Akram

LAHORE: After disallowing his party a rehearsal for the next general elections by shying away from by-polls, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has repeated the mistake his party had committed by boycotting the 2008 elections to loose the political locus standi to call the exercise a sham.
The party, which has already been facing isolation and criticism by disapproving the landmark 20th Amendment that, in view of many, has helped address constitutional lacunas in holding fair elections, is bound to face seclusion on its stand on by-polls which attracted more people to polling stations than anticipated.
The PTI has taken refuge behind a Supreme Court verdict on electoral rolls despite the court’s removing the misconception that it nowhere halted the process of holding by-elections provided proper voter lists were prepared before the exercise.
The PTI decided not to take part in by-elections on seats vacated by new entrants to its ranks, such as Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Javed Hashmi, as it wants to wait for another six months before jumping in the fray with a bang.
The beating about the bush by the party on the issue of the 20th Amendment, caretaker setup to conduct general elections, electoral rolls and by-elections is a misplaced cry since it has no representation in parliament for reasons of its own than anybody else’s.
The PTI has started feeling confident that it would make it to parliament with the help of what it considers electable candidates who have joined its ranks. But it has ignored the reality that turncoats have often faced a humiliating defeat, particularly when they did not carry an approval from the power that be.
The hue and cry that the PTI has been raising on otherwise non-issues would be a disservice to the party that has yet to test its muscles in the ultimate exercise of democracy. The PTI stands alone as it should have been by denying its support base the right to vote, though only few acted, keeping in view the comparatively large turnout in constituencies vacated by star campaigners from Multan. On the other hand, political forces that were smelling a GHQ rat in the ranks of PTI have appeared contented with by-election results as they have not only won the seats their deserters had vacated to join the common political rival, they also got public sanction yet again to the system and feeling more confident to reach out to them in general elections. The PTI needs to learn from the mistakes it has been committing while riding high on the horse of political wishes that fishing out of water fetches nothing whether there is a ‘tsunami’ of support or not.
The PPP has not only avoided repeating the mistake it had committed in 1985 by staying on the side of boycotters of party-less elections, it helped Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N desert the camp of those who were playing the politics of boycotting elections in 2008. Hence, it got the approval of the masses to steer the democratic system out of troubled waters, created by military dictator Pervez Musharraf, and formed a parliament, which has to its credit the unanimous restoration of 1973 Constitution and a strength to look into the eyes of the establishment.
In view of a political observer, the PTI has been crying foul over everything that it sees taking it away from a win in elections, thanks to the old system wherein the security and intelligence establishment has the ultimate say.
Any act of parliament or the forces which are helping the political system drift away from the control of the establishment, was being taken away from the PTI itself.
The observers say the 20th Amendment and electoral reforms introduced therein are in fact dawning of a new political era for political workers who have experienced the wrath of establishment on the political system whether it be the one controlled democracy from 1988-1999 or the sham democracy from 2002 to 2008.
The observers say the forthcoming general elections could be “mother of all elections”, as the establishment would be having little role to play in an exercise which would be minutely monitored by the phenomenal surge of fast-track and pro-active media.
The PTI’s taking part in elections as an emerging political force would make the exercise and the contest an electoral spectacle since it would be tested as was the PPP in the 1970 general elections in West Pakistan.
However, the observers said the PTI needs to work hard on establishing its democratic credentials, which it had already tarnished by accepting largely those who are left with little electoral strength for remaining stanch supporters of Pervez Musharraf and even Imran Khan at one point or the other. The party has yet to come up with an election manifesto that could attract the masses and show miracles as did the manifesto of the PPP in the late 60s.

Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk

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