The political leadership across the country held public meetings and made last-minute pleas to voters to support their respective parties before the close of a 21-day election campaign that was marred by security threats and terrorist attacks on major stakeholders.
Despite the security constraints, the country had exploded with political activity as the campaign drew to a close a day before the start of polling per the Election Commission of Pakistan’s instructions, promising a lively and hotly contested election with results highly unpredictable for the leaders as well as political analysts. It seemed that it was a day when all roads were leading to public meetings and rallies organised by one party or the other.
The leaders of the three main parties, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf put up impressive shows to mark the end of the campaign while candidates and ticket-holders from these parties also did their best to flex their muscles to mark the end of the campaign in a bid to leave lasting imprints on the minds of general public before the polling day.
PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif was in Lahore on Thursday and addressed three public meetings in NA-127, NA-122 and his own constituency NA-120.
It was also Nawaz’s first appearance in the city known as the bastion of Sharifs now shaken by the challenge posed by PTI’s top man Imran Khan and his ascendancy in national politics as a force to be reckoned.
In last ditch efforts to woo voters, despite his injuries PTI Chairman Imran Khan delivered a passionate speech through a video link at a mammoth public meeting in Islamabad. The meeting was also addressed by Sheikh Rashid relying heavily on the cooperation of the PTI to clinch a victory after suffering humiliating defeats from the PML-N banner in the recent past.
Most surprising was Bilawal Bhutto’s appearance in a public meeting in Rawalpindi again though through a video linkage televised throughout the country.
BILAWAL’S ADDRESS:
Bilawal’s address was meant to boost the fortunes of Haji Nawaz Khokhar’s son taking part in the election and also an anti-PML-N alliance at works in Rawalpindi.
While addressing the people of constituency NA-49 Bhara Kahu, Bilawal said that he was proud of talking to the people of federal capital on the last day of election campaign because it was the land where his mother Benazir Bhutto dedicated her life for the revival of democracy and it was his right to ask the people to poll their votes into the favour of his party’s candidate.
He claimed that an ideological conspiracy had been hatched to destabilise Pakistan and it was more dangerous than terrorists.
“Let us come together to flop this mind set who flourished under dictatorial regime, funded by terrorist elements in previous elections and requested them not to have any terrorist attack in Punjab province,” Bilawal reiterated.
He claimed to eliminate poverty, unemployment and terrorism if PPPP returned to power, adding that jobs quota would be provided for the local residents of federal capital in the future too.
NAWAZ’S ADDRESS:
In Lahore, Nawaz concluded the campaign at mid-night in Data Darbar. Party workers and supporters had the other day invited people to join Nawaz at the Data Darbar. Nawaz also addressed gatherings in Dungi Ground in Samnabad and before that Green Town (near Sunday Bazar, appealing the public to vote for PML-N if they want to change their lives. Nawaz said that his party deserved their vote on the basis of their past performance.
IMRAN’S FINAL POLL ADDRESS:
PTI Chairman Imran Khan made a final appeal to the nation through a video-link from his hospital bed, calling upon the people to vote for the PTI to usher in an era of prosperity in a ‘Naya Pakistan’.
Addressing the participants of the D-Chowk rally in Islamabad, the PTI chief called upon the people of Pakistan to vote for their future and their children’s future on May 11.
Some analysts put the attendance at the rally close to 100,000 people.
Khan urged voters to bring create a new Pakistan through the power of the ballot.
Addressing the people of Pakistan, province by province, he urged them to shun the politics of the old and tested faces and take Pakistan towards a new direction.
Speaking to the people of Sindh, he asked them if they still wanted the bloodshed they suffered for the last five years.
“How long would you give votes and sacrifices in Bhutto’s name? Peace cannot return to Karachi as long as political parties maintain militant wings. Those involved in extortion themselves can never end extortion and terrorism in the city,” the PTI chief said.
Khan said the rural areas of Sindh were one of the least developed parts of Pakistan.
Speaking to the people of Balochistan, he said the oppressed people of the province must come out of the jungle that the sardars had confined them to.
“Stop being exploited in the name of nationalism and religion. Vote for the party that will make a new Pakistan,” Khan said.
“The people of Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa and FATA have made their decision,” a smiling Khan said, adding that “come out and vote for the PTI”, assuring the people of restoring peace and stability to the region.
For Punjab, he asked the people how could the Sharif brothers, who had ruled for a combined period of 25 years, do any more good.
“They did nothing in the past five years, if you think they will do in the sixth year what they did not in the last five, you should vote for them.”
Khan’s party then made the rally participants’ take an oath of allegiance of not bowing down before anyone to make a self sufficient and self reliant Pakistan.
Due to security reasons and lack of leadership, the PPP remained conspicuous by its absence from the election campaign. Instead, the PPP based its strategy on minimum agenda in Punjab. It focused mainly on constituencies with some prospects for it.
But both the PML-N and the PTI leadership made most of the period allotted for campaigning holding public meetings in every big city of the province and outside, mobilising the general public in a big way.
This mobilisation, the political analysts say, will lead to greater turn out at the polling day.
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