Govt should swiftly settle election related issues
Important PPP leaders had already warned of anti-democracy forces, who they maintained were out to derail the system. Now Mian Nawaz Sharif has sounded a similar warning. Tahirul Qadri’s entry on the political scene combined with a long march aimed at postponing the elections was bound to set the alarm bells ringing. Many think the announcement by Qadri of the so- called ‘second phase of revolution’ is a part of the conspiracy. Building on the neglect of the common man by the incumbent dispensation, Qadri announced a series of ‘rallies of the revolution” to highlight “the anti-poor system of the country” that he says needs to be replaced as it violates Articles 3 and 38 of the Constitution. Qadri could have left the matter for the SC, but wary of the apex court’s insistence on holding the elections on time he decided to resort to populist tactics to keep the court also under pressure.
Imran Khan whose ratings have continued to decline over the last few months has joined hands with Qadri now. He has put up a demand for the resignation of the president, which has no constitutional support. With Zardari willing to relinquish the party post soon and assuring the Lahore High Court that the presidency would not be used for any political activities, little justification is left for seeking his resignation. Like Tahirul Qadri, the PTI chief too wants the four provincial members of the ECP to be appointed afresh. The PTI has criticized the poor performance of the EC in implementation of the apex court orders, a perceived failure to check the misuse of state resources by the federal and Punjab governments and laxity shown in the implementation of the ban on new jobs. Interestingly the government has approached the EC to seek lifting of ban on new jobs and diversion of funds maintaining that the EC cannot enforce the ban before the announcement of the election date. The matter is bound to land in the SC. One hopes the issue would be resolved at the earliest in line with the court’s stand about timely elections.
Delay on the part of the government to settle the election related issues promptly has provided an opportunity to those who want to upset the system. While it is not mandatory to consult those outside parliament on the caretaker set up, one hopes that all significant parties will be consulted before the new caretakers are announced. Hopefully the matter would be settled at the expected meeting between Zardari and Nawaz Sharif soon.
