What was JI really thinking?
Whether the upcoming elections turn out to be successful still remains to be seen, yet one thing is for sure: seeing them through without any problem is most likely not going to be a walk in the park. A number of factors, ranging from those who are adept at rigging the polls to those who are afraid of losing a particular constituency, will surely impede the smooth sailing. The incident where fake ballot papers were seized by the police in Lower Dir area is something that needs urgent and fair investigation so as to ascertain what really happened and fix responsibility on those involved in the act.
As per reports, Jamat-e-Islami (JI) members were caught red handed with 90,000 fake ballot papers that they said were going to be used to educate the women of NA-34. Whether the JI did so with bona fide or mala fide intent, keeping the whole operation a secret surely reflects that something was definitely amiss. Firstly, how did JI come to the conclusion that the women of the area needed this education, and as many as 90,000 of them? Secondly, if that were the case, why did it have to do it in such a surreptitious manner? Had it done it publicly, in full view of the Election Commission of Pakistan officials, it may have been considered a legitimate initiative. Thirdly, how come the women in the rest of the country don’t need this kind of an education, particularly in the areas where JI has a stronghold? Fourthly, how was JI going to accomplish its goal of educating women about the process of balloting in an area where women traditionally have little participation in outside activities, and what little they do have they cannot do that without their male guardians say-so? From whatever perspective we look at it, the JI did not handle it well, and that’s something the ECP needs to investigate.
The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) has assured an impartial inquiry into the issue and appropriate action against those found guilty. It sounds good but it needs to be done quickly and efficiently so that aspersions are not cast on the whole process of elections. Now that the issue is public knowledge, no effort on the part of the CEC should be spared to dispel the image that rigging was possible on a limited or larger scale, for the credibility of these elections is of pivotal import. The whole electoral exercise is already not balanced with three centre-left and left parties, the PPP, MQM and ANP, at a disadvantage because of repeated militant attacks on their leaders and political workers though recent attacks on the JUI-F and the PTI rallies indicate a tilting of scales. Under the circumstances, the ECP would do well to expedite the inquiry process, ascertain what really happened and then make its findings public.