Misplaced chagrin all around
Individual by-elections in a particular constituency can, in no way, serve as an index of how things will play out in a general election. There is too much entropy in the body-politic for that to happen. Yes, politics here is politics there but the contours of each constituency are still different in their own way.
But the candidacy of Qadir Gilani for the Multan seat his father was forced to vacate was too much of an opportunity for the media to let go of. This election will determine, many from the commentariat claimed, how the sitting federal government has lost its mandate. And so, off it was to the polls, where the Gilanis were to face longtime rivals, the Bosan clan. In what was a nail-biting election, Gilani won by a lead of four thousand.
Many sheepish grins on TV ensued. Goal-posts had to be shifted: but he only managed to scrape through by such a short margin, was the new catchphrase.
True, the number, if compared to the senior Gilani’s lead in ‘08, was small, but the comparison is not apple-to-apple. Whereas in the last election, different parties fielded their own candidates, this one was the PPP vs all the rest. Mr Bosan got the Jamaat’s support. And the PML(N)’s. And the PTI’s.
Whereas Mr Bosan maturely accepted there had been no rigging in the election he had just lost – may all candidates of the future be like him in this regard – some from the PTI’s media machine were screaming quite the opposite!
The above two types of tut-tutting of the elections results, however flawed, are not mean spirited. That particular distinction went to those pundits who appeared on the airwaves and rather than weighing the lead or contesting the validity of the results, saw it fit to be caustic towards the electorate itself. Idiots, said some; illiterates, said others. Classy.
A respect for the will of the people is paramount for the polity to get anywhere. As explained earlier, individual elections don’t mean anything more than what they do. But for whatever it is worth, the people of Multan have spoken. Opponents of the PPP had better learn to grin and bear it.
Why the people of Multan have rejected PMLN. PTI,JI and all the rest is most disturbing. Even reportedly DPC pitched in to no avail. What is wrong with the people? Why don't they trust the parties who believe in Islam?
Gilanis are also muslims and descendants of great saints of Multan. People don't trust parties supporting terrorists. PPP has done a lot for Multan and why shouldn't they return to the assemblies…Also people rejected supreme court verdict as victimisation….!
learn to respect the mandate of people of Multan.
In elections only the end-result counts – no matter how many votes his father got earlier and how many he managed to secure this time – the bottom-line is PPP won the election and all other parties collectively lost it. Actually it's time for the opposition to think and cry on their defeat rather than saying to PPP you gained less votes then previous…. its obvious defeated parties are no place to hide their funny faces…
Yes ! vote by the people counts but many weaknesses hv been exposed which will definetely go against the PPP in general election as the margin was very negligible, where govt machinery was at its full swing & development work in the period of Jilani Sb as PM also played, but the real test will be in general election…so hold yr horses….
Yes ! the collective mandate of the people must be respected, but was same done with Mujib ur Rehamn by ZAB…?
To defeat AWAM…. Establishment needed an other fully equipped IJI……
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