Enemeies and electoral decisions
The memory of the first and only free and fair elections of 1970 are etched in my mind. After toppling the dictatorship of Ayub Khan, we the students of sixties and seventies forced the electoral exercise based on one man one vote. Thana controlled indirect democracy of the dictator was rejected. Khakis under Yahya Khan were expecting a split mandate to neurtralise the democratic surge but they were surprised by the results. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s (ZAB) People’s Party bagged 81 out of 138 seats of the National Assembly in West Pakistan while Mujib-ur-Rehman’s Awami League won big in the Eastern Wing with 160 out of 162 positions.
In the sixties the establishment carved out its first political entity called Pakistan Muslim League – Convention (PML-C) with its headquarter in the Muslim League house on Davis Road. Currently it is under the occupation of PML-Q the brainchild of General Musharraf the fourth Khaki dictator. After the fall of its founder, PML-C fell on hard times despite its resources and administrative structure in place. Ayub Khan was toppled through street power as he enjoyed the support of the establishment and judiciary. In July 2017 Nawaz Sharif the Prime Minister was sent home by the independent Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP). Being the party in power PML-N faces a similar challenge as did PML-C in the seventies. The recent electoral contest in NA-120 Lahore clearly indicated the dwindling support for the party in power, its vulnerability at the ballot stands exposed.
After 47 years (1970 – 2017) and ten manipulated elections between 1977 to 2013 together with two fake referendums, fair election in 2018 seem improbable. It is a major challenge for the progressive democratic forces of change and the retrogressive anti democracy elements of status-quo. In 1970 it was PML-C versus PPP in West Pakistan and PML-C versus Awami League (AL) in the Eastern Wing. The party of the establishment was eliminated at the ballot despite its resources and organisation.
Ideology played a pivotal role in the victory of both PPP and AL. ZAB’s PPP was a young party founded in 1967 which was able to achieve a major electoral victory only three years later. Socialist doctrine combined with activism and an effective grass root organisation proved to be a lethal combination. Voters came voluntarily in droves to vote for the agenda of change. It was because of the legacy of its founder that PPP achieved five electoral victories till it was driven into the ground by his son-in-law.
Democracy in Pakistan has survived because of the 1970 free and fair elections and its contribution, with the 1973 constitution being the biggest prize of them all. Despite Zia’s and Musharraf’s ad-hoc amendments the sacred document has not been annulled. Future of the democratic order will be determined by the next free and fair election planned for 2018. Like PPP of the seventies, PTI is in a position to knock out the forces of status-quo through an honest ballot. It is a historic opportunity for Imran Khan to lead the nation out of the stagnation imposed on the nation by dictators and their political offshoots like PML-C, PML-N and PML-Q etc.
PTI can only prevail over PML-N through Ideology, Activism and Organisation (IAO). As president of PTI Punjab Comrade Ahsan Rashid worked very hard in all these areas. Think tanks were formed to develop ideology. Youth activists were organised to carry the message while effective organisational structures were developed. From its modest beginning in 1996 the party emerged as a major political force in 2011 on its own merit. A 14 member Shadow Cabinet was also announced to focus on specific policy areas.
The Lahore jalsa of October 2011 was historic. By December 2011 the Public gathering at Mazar-e-Quaid in Karachi was equally impressive but the electables had arrived by then. Comrade Ahsan had arranged a dinner to introduce the new comers to the party. It proved to be the proverbial last supper for the ideologues who had built the party on solid foundations of change.
Before the national elections in 2013, Kaptaan decided to go for Inter Party Elections (IPE) with Advocate Hamid Khan as the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). Bad habits die hard, the electables did not play by the rules. Despite his tenacious efforts in building the party from scratch, Comrade Ahsan Rashid lost his position as President of Punjab. In case of PTI victory he was designated as Chief Minister of the Province. Despite his ill-health he campaigned well for his provincial assembly seat here he was targeted by the external rogues of PML-N. In the end he was made to lose on both fronts.
Today the Tehreek faces both internal and external rogues. Within the party IAO are non-existent and outside it faces the roguery of a well-entrenched party that has enjoyed power and perks for over three decades. Electables may prevail in their own constituencies but for an overall election victory grass root organisation is required.
Support backed by clearly understood ideology is needed otherwise the mandate will be split. Smaller parties will be able to dictate terms with compromises on core issues. Free and fair elections of 1970 launched democracy in the country. An honest ballot in 2018 can bring the democratic order back on track provided the party of change organises itself to meet the challenge. Ideology, Activism and Organisation is the way forward.
