MOTHER OF ALL ELECTIONS TODAY!

Pakistan beckons. The voting day is here for the polls being termed the “mother of all elections” in the country’s history. Much is at stake for the crises-marred people of this troubled nation, where rampant corruption, energy shortage, unabated bloodshed, economic meltdown, unemployment and ethnic and religious strife has driven the countrymen to the edge.

Looking for a turn of fortunes, the countrymen have braved the past five years of democratic rule that has provided little to match the hopes they pinned on it following the end of military dictator Pervez Musharraf’s regime. But hope sells, as they say, and the people of the country are keen buyers.

While some power aspirants are banking on their experience of having run the country earlier, others promising a new Pakistan are not far behind. While the ones having recently let go of power are trying making people recount their sacrifices for the country.

Whatever the outcome of the polls might be, one thing the past few weeks made evident was that the people of the country have started believing in the power of their vote and many would turn out to vote for the first time in anticipation of changing their destiny and that of the country.

Despite continued violence, killings and attacks on election candidates and rallies, thousands braved security fears to attend political rallies and show their support for their preferred candidates. And that showcases what hope can do for a nation.

The 12th general election looks at around 86 million registered voters to exercise their right for electing representatives for 272 National Assembly seats and 572 provincial assembly seats.

Around 15,624 contestants are contesting for around 844 National and provincial assembly slots in the 14th parliament of the country. At least 1,000 aspirants will be trying their luck as independent candidates. Polling has been postponed in five constituencies due to death of some candidates.

“This is no ordinary election day. This is the war of survival of Pakistan. We are ready to deliver but media’s role is pivotal for higher turnout,” Minister for Information Arif Nizami told Pakistan Today. He said the experience of an independent Election Commission had remained successful and for the first time, elections would be held in a free, fair and transparent poll.

Asked to comment over the sit-ins announced by the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), Arif Nizami said Dr Tahirul Qadri had become irrelevant and he could not affect the polls’ process.

About terrorist threats, Nizami said the government had devised a strategy to counter all terrorist threats. “We have adopted pre-emptive measures and voters would be provided a safe and secure environment during elections. Besides, security personnel, army helicopters would be hovering over to provide security,” he added.

He said the caretaker government would not spend even a second and it would pass on power to the new elected government. “The voter lists are prepared with photographs and fingerprints of voters. This has removed any possibility of vote fraud. The days are gone when election were robbed,” he responded to another question about vote fraud.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has set up 72,000 polling stations across the country for 86,189,802 registered voters out of which 48,592,387 are male and 37,597,415 females. Around 720,000 polling staff has been deployed for the conduct of polls to be continued uninterrupted from 8am to 5pm. Returning officers will then get to counting votes and announce the results.

During the past 19 days, candidates left no stone unturned to convince the voters. Despite incidents of violence and terrorism during the past few weeks, the electoral process gradually geared up and the day has arrived when the nation is going to elect its new leadership for the next five years.

The caretaker government has devised a well-thought-out security to facilitate peaceful and smooth polling on Election Day and the armed forces will be on their toes to thwart any terrorist bid to assist the election staff and common voters.

The personnel of armed forces are being deployed at highly sensitive polling stations while the Quick Response Force units would be available on call as the commission has declared 19,644 polling stations sensitive and 12,716 as highly sensitive of a total 69,875 polling stations.

The highest number of high-sensitive polling stations is in Sindh, followed by Punjab with 4,463, KP with 2,142 and Balochistan 1,783.

In FATA, 134 polling stations have been identified as highly sensitive and 1,117 as sensitive, while in federal capital, the number of highly sensitive polling stations is 18, of a total 550.

Seven security personnel shall be deployed at highly sensitive, five at sensitive and four security personnel shall be deployed at normal polling stations. Computerised National Identity Cards (CNIC) will be mandatory to cast votes although the commission has also allowed those to cast vote whose CNICs are expired.

Tough contest is being expected in Punjab, where all three major parties – the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have fielded their candidates on most of National and provincial assembly seats.

Analysts have predicted a tough contest between the PTI and PML-N in Punjab, while PTI is leading the race in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and the PPP and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) are leading in rural and urban centres of Sindh, respectively.

The Punjab province which sets the mode for voters would see 49,259,334 registered voters polling their votes. The province has 148 National Assembly seats of the total 272.

The situation in Punjab was favourable for the PML-N until PTI chief Imran Khan launched his campaign with full might. After Imran Khan took a stormy tour of the province, his party emerged as main rival of the PML-N in the province, pushing the PPP to number three.

Since 1988, it is for the first time that the PPP will apparently be running third in the province, though it will be leading in Sindh by securing majority of National and provincial assembly seats.

Khan’s campaign reached culmination under the slogan of a “New Pakistan”, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif ensured of “revival of economy and power sector”, while the PPP again banked upon its martyrs to get the sympathy vote.