Finally
It took a suo moto notice from the Supreme Court, but the names of the required four members of the Election Commission of Pakistan have, finally, been finalised; just ahead of the Jul27 deadline. But that does not mean that the government has developed any sudden appreciation for its importance. Its actions, rather inaction, was enough to betray its disregard for the role of the ECP, even as its position came under immense pressure after allegations of fraud followed the previous general election, and the Commission became virtually non-functional after the five-year tenure of the previous four members expired on Jun12.
The government obviously needs reminding that the Commission needs to be in tip-top shape throughout the election cycle, not just at the end of one. There are bye-elections and various LG polls to conduct and oversee. Then there are references; like those filed by PTI, PPP and PAT at the moment, seeking the PM’s ouster. But it’s not just the ECP that has escaped the government’s attention. PML-N does not seem too fond of too many democratic institutions in its third term. The PM almost never attends parliament; and his senior ministers are no different.
It is unfortunate that even a routine exercise as nominating ECP members, a constitutional requirement, cannot come full circle without some sort of controversy. The ANP senator abstained from voting, claiming his party had not been consulted, while Imran Khan himself tweeted PTI’s “disappointment” among other things, mentioning as always things like “rigging” and “controversial 2013”, etc. Yet it is clear that neither the government nor the opposition took this issue seriously till it was already quite late. Considering how both get entangled into paralysis whenever they sit and talk, they should have begun these crucial negotiations a little earlier. Hopefully they will at least break their other bad habit – not learning from their mistakes.