Countdown to "the dirtiest and most expensive election" in the history of Pakistan

The general elections in Pakistan will be held in a week on July 25. In addition to the two largest political parties – the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistani People's Party (PPP) – most experts and commentators have already called the elections one of the worst elections in the world. History of Pakistan. I A Rehman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called these elections "the dirtiest and most expensive elections in the history of Pakistan". The PML-N and the PPP have already alleged that the military establishment had manipulated pre-election maneuvers and twisted their arms. While the army spokesman said at a recent press conference that the military is not taking sides with any political party, Mian Nawaz Sharif has appointed a senior security official. ISI candidates for the PML-N while Farhatullah Babar named two colonels.

It is no secret that Pakistan's powerful military power wields much power and has been accused of manipulating elections and forming new electoral alliances in the past; the Asghar Khan case is an example. For those unfamiliar with this case, in 1996, Air Marshal Asghar Khan filed a human rights petition before the Supreme Court of Pakistan accusing the ISI of giving him the honor. money to a group of politicians to defeat Benazir. Bhutto in the 1990 elections. The former Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif is one of the politicians accused of taking money from ghosts.

The main problem in Pakistan is how civilians are still subject to criticism while the establishment is always presented as our saviors. In an interview with the Herald, when asked what was the fundamental problem of civil-military relations, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto said: "The military's inability to bow to the will People." This line sums up everything that is wrong with Pakistan. political structure. In the same interview, (late) Ms Bhutto said that the reason the establishment is able to present a discredited image of political figures is that "the army gives power to some politicians," she said. divided the grbadroots civil base that can not win – the promise of power without legitimacy ". When one reads and re-reads this particular interview published in 2000, one is surprised to see how, after nearly two decades, every word uttered by Benazir Bhutto is still relevant and true.

"The promise of power without the challenge of Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Papers case for reasons unrelated to the initial corruption case and his arrest a few days ago on another weak judicial judgment says a lot about the legitimacy of the government. the role of the judiciary in this political drama. As pointed out by renowned lawyer Babar Sattar in his recent column: "You may or may not want NS and Maryam to rot in jail." But what Judge Bashir has produced is a source of embarrbadment for all those involved in the justice system. Does the sloppy use of the law as an electrical tool root the rule of law? "(The News)

Since the verdict of Panama, the PML-N has always questioned the impartiality of the judiciary. It must be emphasized here that when former PPP Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani was disqualified by justice a few years ago, the same PML-N hailed this verdict. Now that the tables have turned, their wacky answer is that PM Gilani should not have been disqualified. The same PML-N canceled a meeting with Asif Zardari of the PPP on his "anti-military explosion" in 2015. Some say that Mr. Sharif could not afford this meeting because the PML-N was at Barely escaped unhurt from the Dharna 2014 (sit-in) led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) of Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri. The dharna may have been staged by leaders and supporters of PTI and PAT, but the military establishment would have orchestrated it to put pressure on Sharif and his government following the Musharraf trial and his pro-Indian position, among others. things. Mr. Sharif's government was "cut to the waist" after the dharna. Finally, they made it go through the Panama affair

The PPP also tried to play ball with the establishment during the senatorial elections a few months ago by voting for Sadiq Sanjrani in as President of the Senate. So did the PTI. But the PPP lost the support of the establishment during its election campaign. Some say it's because the party has not accepted an electoral delay while others say it's because if the PPP wins a significant number of seats, a government Coalition can not be formed without its support. PPP President Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was the voice of mental health throughout the election campaign. Mr. Bhutto-Zardari's speech on media censorship and electoral engineering did not work very well with the powers in place

As for Imran Khan and his PTI, the tweet of Susie Dent Summarizes their political strategy: "My word of the day is" quockerwodger ": a 19th century wooden puppet whose members bad at the discretion of the puppet master.It quickly became used for a politician whose the strings are fully drawn by someone else. "No wonder that PTI was called" Ladla "(favorite) Party and that Imran Khan was called" PM Select "by Bilawal Bhutto [19659008] does not mean that PTI is not a popular party – in fact, PTI is extremely popular and has a lot of support on the ground, but this support is not yet enough for the party to form. a government without the help of "angels." With the PML-N and the PPP facing the worst form of ingenuity Electoral grid, the road is clear for the ITP and a coalition of independent and other "favorites" to form the next government. Will this plan work? Until now, it seems so. But on polling day and voter turnout, even the best designed plans of mice and men can go awry.

The writer is a reporter based in Lahore. She can be reached at [email protected] and tweets at @Mehmal

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are personal. They do not reflect the views of Business Standard.