Time is of the essence
While discussions regarding an agreed caretaker setup have yet to begin formally there are indications of another major political dispute in the offing. The sudden lobbying for an APC by the MQM has led many to smell rat. While receiving the MQM team at Mansoora, JI’s Munawwar Hasan sounded the alarm by observing that the government needs to be pressurised to hold elections on time, thus suggesting that the administration might be planning to delay the elections. Next day, a central MQM leader was questioned on a private TV channel if the party’s recent mission was aimed at getting the elections postponed. On Thursday, Nawaz Sharif vowed to fight “tooth and nail” what he termed as the ongoing conspiracies to get the election postponed for a year.
The PPP opponents maintain that the party fears to go to polls on time amidst power shortages, increasing poverty, high unemployment rat and a declining economy. It hopes that an extra year might help it decrease the intensity of some of the problems. It is also being suggested that the party may be hoping to enjoy a freer hand after CJ Iftikhar retires in 2013. The PPP can maintain that this is just one of the several misinformation campaigns that have been launched in the past to malign it.
It would be premature to create doubts about the intentions of the government. These will become clear from the way it proceeds towards the appointment of a caretaker set up with the help of the opposition. As in most other matters, the government has acted less than efficiently in this case. Reportedly, it has just decided to set up a committee to finalise the names for the caretaker setup. Last week, Nawaz Sharif had announced the he would take other opposition leaders into confidence to create a consensus over the caretaker setup. It is yet not known if he has made any headway. As the last general elections were held on February 18, 2008, the caretaker government has to be in place by mid November this year. Thus, there are still over three months to resolve the matter. The presence of Fakhruddin G Ebrahim as the CEC provides one confidence that the government will not be allowed to act against the letter and spirit of the constitution. Another guarantee for a timely election is a vigilant Supreme Court. A highly critical media is still another check on the government. Then there are major opposition parties who carefully observe every move made by the administration. It would be sheer folly on the part of the government to think it can get away with the purported scheme in the presence of such a high level of vigilance.
