Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar has pledged to hold free and fair elections but amid deep concern that the polls may be delayed beyond the constitutionally mandated 90 days.

According to analysts with insight into the political economy, citizens are critical for our government and politics. The general demand of those opposing deviation from the constitutional norms it that the will of the people should prevail.

Any delay in elections will widen the gulf between citizens and the state. On the first working day of the interim government, the national currency dipped by Rs3 versus the dollar in the interbank market as dealers said the market reacted to what it perceived was more uncertainty.

Petrol and diesel prices were raised by a whopping Rs20 per litre. Similarly, there was an over 100 per cent increase in property tax by the Defence Housing Authority, Karachi, says a report, infuriating its residents. The DHA has raised the tax for the second time in three years.

Timely elections may open up the path of stability if the government elected in free and fair polls is allowed to complete its electoral term by informal decision-makers as well as political rivals

Both the federation and the provinces will be ruled by a non-elected interim setup for a prolonged period. The delay in polls, not held within the constitutionally mandated period, says Senator Reza Rabbani, will have serious consequences for the federation.

The Chief Justice of Pakistan, Umar Ata Bandial, says the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) still had time and could transparently complete delimitation. This contradicts the earlier ECP’s stipulation. The Senate had unanimously passed a resolution calling elections to be held within 90 days.

Prime Minister Kakar says the interim setup under him would ensure the continuity of economic policies and further improve them.

According to a statement issued by the prime minister’s office, the enhancement of foreign investment under the Special Facilitation Council is among the top priorities of the caretaker setup. It will also focus on structural reforms and fully implement the agreed programme with the International Monetary Fund.

Painful economic reforms entail social costs, which the solo flight of caretakers, though backed by the establishment, are unlikely to be managed. It is feared that there will be backlash which will add to existing socioeconomic problems as well as worsen the security environment.” Others see caretaker setup being overtaken by events as the core issue of democratisation of the economy is missing.

Hybrid democracy is one of the major issues in public discourse, with a strong national focus on how to prevent deviations

In his latest book titled ‘Pakistan’s Institutional Instability & Underdevelopment: State, People and Consciousness’ Dr Akmal Husain wrote: “With political governments typically facing a three-year timeframe, much of which is spent fighting for survival, who is going to worry about long-term structural reforms.”

He points out a tussle between different groups of elites within the same underlying power structure. This constrains human potential and hampers equitable, sustained and environmentally protective economic growth.

According to political economist Pervez Tahir, Shahbaz Sharif’s legacy (after 16 months as a prime minister) is that the political class wants others to create more space for it to regain lost political capital.

The pattern of power-sharing and public policy-making needs to change. All institutions should be free to provide input, but the final policy decisions should rest with the elected government.

And the mainstream political parties should promote and nurture grassroots democracy that could strengthen the country’s democratic foundation.

The executive needs to carry out the decisions taken by the parliament instead of a kitchen cabinet turning the parliament into a rubber stamp. The Senate’s unanimously passed resolution asking the Election Commission of Pakistan to hold elections on time as mandated by the Constitution should be taken seriously by the caretaker government and the ECP.

Short-term setbacks cannot undermine the long-lasting value of constitutional democracy. We need to look to changing long-term political trends to have a peep in the future. Despite the country’s serious crises, the Constitution has not been suspended or held in abeyance, nor has any emergency been imposed.

The preference of civilians for a parliamentary system, however fragile it may appear, instead of the presidential system — enshrined in the 1973 Constitution, is in force. The parliament reversed the president’s authority during Zia’s arbitrary rule to sack the National Assembly at his discretion.

Hybrid democracy is one of the major issues in public discourse, with a strong national focus on how to enforce Constitutional and democratic norms as deviations continue to occur.

And timely elections may open up the path of stability if the government elected in free and fair polls is allowed to complete its electoral term by informal decision-makers as well as political rivals in opposition. All political parties contesting in the polls should be provided with a level playing field.

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, August 21st, 2023