- Truth is a kaleidoscope
A high level meeting called by caretaker PM on Monday expressed satisfaction over arrangements to hold the elections on July 25. The ECP meanwhile rejected three petitions seeking the postponement of elections. After issuing the code of conduct for political parties the ECP has announced a new monitoring system apparently to ensure that the sort of violations that occurred during 2013 polls and later bye-elections are not repeated. The developments should allay the concerns being expressed among others by former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi regarding a possible postponement of the elections. All indicators at this time point to timely polls in line with the schedule announced earlier this month.
The major political parties are busy finalising their lists of candidates, a task that has to be completed before Friday when ROs are to allocate election symbols to candidates. The exercise is frequently marred by the super-rich who jack up election spending to ensure their victory, violating the rules governing expenses. This is done through setting up several election offices in the constituency, manned by paid staff, costly publicity campaigns, provision of transport to voters and at places arranging entertainment for them. Also on elaborate arrangements for candidates’ speeches at several public places. To ensure that limits on expenses are not exceeded, DCs have been appointed as district monitoring officers (DMOs) who would be reportedly assisted by monitoring officers (MOs) drawn from bureaucracy.
With Nawaz Sharif and Maryam unable to lead the PML-N’s election campaign, cases under NAB laws against Shahbaz and Hamza along with several other PML-N leaders facing the charges of the contempt of court, and the arrest of a national assembly ticket holder, those who are keen to get rid of the PML-N are satisfied that the results of the forthcoming elections would be in accordance with their wishful estimates. They may turn out to be right. But public opinion is like the wind which bloweth where it listeth. The estimates of public support for parties contesting 1971 elections presented to Yahya Khan by the country’s prime agencies turned out to be totally false.
