EVERY election held in the country has been marred by allegations of rigging and malpractice. The losers always blame the winner for using unfair means or the involvement of invisible forces, while the winners almost always boast that their win was the voice of the public. For example, in one of the polls, the late Benazir Bhutto claimed that her party was winning during the day but by the time night fell, it had lost. The 2013 polls were so controversial that all parties, winners and losers, cried foul.

The judicial commission, formed after protests by the PTI, concluded that there was no evidence of pre-poll rigging, but that the Election Commission of Pakistan had committed many irregularities. However, no action was taken. Similarly, the latest Senate election has triggered a new war of words between parties.

How can we expect any good to come out of the upcoming polls this year? It is the collective responsibility to mutually evolve a policy that can defuse differences and create a harmonious, cordial, and peaceful environment for conducting fair elections.

Raja Shafaatullah
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2018