In the light of the recent survey conducted by IDEAS titled ‘Political Attitude in Lahore’whose results have given birth to a storm of speculations, it should be right to say that the current government of Mian Nawaz Sharif, despite the ongoing political onslaught by PTI, has proved its mettle in terms of its credibility and political acceptance in the eyes of the vote bank.
Despite numerous efforts of the opposition to flag the issue of corruption against the ruling party, PML-N has managed to retain in the eyes of the voters on the basis of the projects taken up to facilitate the public. However a perception has been created that these developmental ventures have an appeal the voters for the upcoming elections. Be that as it may, we cannot deny that the past 5 years have brought us some measure of progress and with CPEC already underway, the Sharif Government will have more to claim in Pakistan’s wellbeing than all other parties combined.
Furthermore, the government has been tirelessly working on introducing major health and educational reforms. Danish Schools, Kidney & Liver Institute and universities have not germinated out of thin air but have turned into a reality through the resolve of ShahbazSharif.
The elections are just around the corner and the surfacing of a survey which breathes authenticity through its facts and figures reflects that the Nawaz Government’s popularity among the voters is still as potent as ever in face of PTI’s every effort at demolishing PML-N’s foothold. According to the survey, PTI is trailing behind PML-N in terms of party support in all the three constituencies. There is a large proportion of voters that are still undecided and the elections will reveal where they will sway.
In defiance of the polarization, there is a significant fraction of the voters that feel the Sharif Brothers are capable of taking Pakistan into the league of developed nations, whereas in these three constituencies Imran Khan seems not to have scored a lot of concrete. On the shaky grounds of PTI’s campaign, corruption does not seem to be the prime concern of the voter this time around. While the apprehension regarding purchasing power remains the most crucial of the factors that affect voter mindset, the government seems to be taking its time to fix this through means that shall bear fruit soon.
At present, the government is busy in completing several big ticket projects which seem to be a thorn in PTI’s back. They have left no stone unturned to discredit the government’s successes, which in turn is affecting its own credibility. PTI’s ruthless Panama Campaign has failed to create a positive perception about the political honesty of their leader among a majority of the voters amidst its attempt at tearing down Nawaz Sharif. Frequent politics of U-turns have left Khan’s prestige in blemishes.
His support within the youth has been drastically damaged by his own inconsistency. Whatever conspired during the PSL fever from Khan’s end was thoroughly disappointing. It just didn’t fare him well to take shallow digs at the foreign players who flew to Pakistan to grace the event. His own party members were at a disagreement with Khan’s stance and realized well enough that such an attitude would not be welcomed by the voters.
The political approach marked by constant criticism is proving detrimental for the opposition who appears to be more inclined towards finding faults with the government and not producing results in their majority provinces, KPK and Sindh. For now, the parties need to understand that the Pakistani vote bank has evolved. No more are the election results dependent just on politics. Performance counts!
It is too early to say which party will hit the home run considering there is a long way to go until the elections 2018 but the outcome of this survey has generated optimism for the ruling PML-N and given PTI a run for its money. It is time for Khan to review his brand of politics. At least this much is clear that his present approach is not working.
