KARACHI, Oct 5: With only four days left for going to the polls, the election campaign still remains a dull and drab affair as it has failed to create any interest or excitement among the voters. Even the partyless local bodies elections held in July 2001 were not characterized by such voter indifference.

Banners and posters carrying election symbols of the parties are in far less numbers than what were during the electioneering of the local bodies elections. The only difference during this election campaign is that many candidates have put up lifesize posters of their leaders and their election symbols at vantage points in the city. But such banners and poster are only on main roads and roundabouts. Very few corner meetings have so far been held by election candidates. In many areas candidates and their workers are yet to contact voters to ask for their voters. Voters know their candidates only through banners, posters and the media. Considering this situation, it would be interesting to see how candidates mobilize voters on the polling day.

According to political observers, one of the main reasons for the failure of the election campaign in creating interest among the voters is uncertainty regarding the holding of elections on the scheduled date, that is, Oct 10. This uncertainty resulted from India’s refusal to withdraw its troops from the borders and blaming Pakistan for all acts of violence and terrorism occurring in India and in occupied Kashmir.

Provocative and threatening statements of Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee led candidates to feel that if border skirmishes increased, this could provide a good excuse to the government to postpone the elections.

The fear of such an eventuality prevented most candidates from spending money on their election campaigns. This also kept political workers from fully involving themselves in the campaign.

Analysts say this general election would prove to be an election in which the lowest amount of money would be spent in the electoral history of the country. Not only have candidates abstained from spending money on their election campaigns, but those who usually spend black money on their favourite candidates have not it found it worthwhile to “make investment in the elections” as they do not expect any favourable return.

Political parties have described some of the conditions laid down in the code of conduct for the general elections as debilitating. The time given for outdoor electioneering campaign was 40 days, which was not sufficient to kick off campaign in the prevailing circumstances when the top leadership of all the three major parties, the Pakistan People’s Party, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement, are in exile.

Their second-ranking leadership, however, in order to keep their supporters’ interest alive and their morale high held out hopes of Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif returning home to lead the election campaign. Although the government, even from the highest office of President Gen Pervez Musharraf himself, repeatedly discounted hopes about the two leaders taking part in electioneering, the second-ranking leadership of these parties filed nomination papers of their leaders from different constituencies in a bid to prove their point that the government could not block the return of their leaders and stop them from taking part in the elections.

However when the leaders did not return, the parties decided to release their much-delayed election manifestos. So in a situation when there is no leadership of national level to draw the attention of the masses, convincing voters about the promises made in manifestos appears to be a very difficult task.