We have witnessed highly tumultuous and traumatic environment after the 2013 Elections and we still are under grip of rigging talks. This is due to the fact that the word rigging still remain to be defined in our country. We seem confused between irregularities, misconduct, and rigging. Leaders blame their opponents for creating obstruction in their unbridled desires to do what pleases them. They accuse PTI for wasting two years in holding sit-ins against government and slowing down their speed of progress. The government continued its contentious construction and deconstruction projects rapidly. It is mindboggling as to how did the dharna contribute to the failure of project after project such as Nandipur, Free Laptops, Sasti Roti, Yellow Cab, Youth Rozgar, and the list can go on?
However, inefficiency and incapability of the government is another topic. The core issue was to find out whether the elections were held in a transparent way as per law and constitution. In retrospect, it seems that the ToRs framed by the government were far from the real issue. The verdict of Judicial Commission seemed to please all and offend none. On the one hand the Commission said that demands of PTI asking for judicial probe were genuine and on the other it held that polls were free and fair except irregularities and failure of Election Commission to follow law and constitution.
Had the ruling party accepted demands of PTI and formed Judicial Commission earlier, the delay for which PTI is blamed could have been avoided. It is time both contending parties shun their differences and bury their hatchets in deep mud and move forward in public interest rather than torturing people further to hear taunts of political leaders against each other.
RAJA SHAFAATULLAH
Islamabad
