PTI’s political approach
Chief Minister KP has put total responsibility for violence and election malpractices on ECP, maintaining that his government had no role in organising the polling. Strangely, the PTI is unwilling to accept the same argument in the case of 2013 elections. The Saturday elections were marred by violence that took toll of at least six lives. Women were discouraged from voting at several polling stations and even stopped by gunmen from exercising their right. Police personnel mostly remained spectators to the mismanagement and violation of queue by voters. Admitting gross irregularities, KP Minister for Local Government Inayatullah Khan said these were not severe enough to make the legitimacy of the elections questionable.
The way a murder case was registered against a prominent ANP politician smacks of political vendetta. Election violence normally takes place when worked up younger workers lose control over themselves. This has never happened in the case of senior leaders. The haste shown in registering the case and arresting former KP Information Minister indicates that no initial investigation was undertaken. One expects the formation of a neutral body to investigate the case now.
CM Khattak maintains that the polling should have been conducted in phases rather than on a single day. This is an afterthought. Political parties, particularly those ruling the provinces, are supposed to know the problems that can arise during the polls. It is for them to make timely recommendations to the EC in the light of their assessments. The local government polls were delayed for years by the ruling parties and there was a perception that they were still unwilling to hold them. The proposal prepared by the ECP after consulting provincial government to hold the elections in three phases was considered a ruse to buy time and was therefore rejected by the SC. There is a need to approach the SC once again in the light of what has happened in KP to allow the ECP to hold the elections in Punjab and Sindh in phases rather than on a single day.
