Imran Khan and by-polls
After NA-246, NA-122 is likely to become the most hotly contested constituency. The PML-N candidate’s defeat would endorse Imran Khan’s accusation of rigging in the constituency during the 2013 polls. Aleem Khan’s defeat would be interpreted by the opponents as Imran Khan’s second discomfiture. In the case of NA-246 only MQM would have lost face in case of defeat. The overwhelming victory of the MQM candidate, under the scrutiny of the media cameras, left no choice for Imran Khan but to accept the results. It is however a different situation in Lahore.
Imran Khan has already declared that the ECP was conniving with the PML-N and he is not willing to commit that he would accept the results of the upcoming election. To put it plainly, he would accept the results only if his candidate succeeds. This despite the ECP accepting some of Khan’s major demands like the deployment of Army and Rangers personnel at polling stations till the completion of the vote count.
Khan has been canvassing in the constituency for the last two days. With a fair number of the experts of conventional politics having joined the PTI, he is deftly employing all the tactics suggested by them including the ones the PML-N had used against the PPP in the 90’s. Incentives are being offered to open PTI offices for the campaign. Attempts are afoot to win over constituency level PML-N leaders who are then asked to accompany the PTI chief on the campaign. Khan claims the PTI was training its “tigers” to act as polling agents so that the PML-N could not rig the upcoming by-poll as well as local government elections. This is a positive move which should be followed by other parties also.
With tensions rising on both sides with every passing day, the parties need to maintain peace. After agreeing to contest the elections the losing party is expected to take its grievances to the right forum instead of taking resort to agitation.