Pakistan Heads to Ballot Box

Ishtiaq Ahmed

Islamabad: All the main political parties, including PTI, are in agreement that the nation should go to the ballot box on February 8. This is a good omen for a country where democracy has been too frequently circumvented.

However, the road to the 8th remains fraught with difficulties, and anything is possible in a fragile and unpredictable political landscape.

The election fever is there to be seen and experienced. The two major political contenders—PPP and PML-N—have launched their nationwide campaigns, while PTI is fighting not to be suffocated out of the contest by a plethora of legal wrangles.

It seems that PTI continues to be badly legally advised. The incompetency of its legal team has been exposed more than once.

The PPP was the first to announce its election manifesto, which is broadly centered around 10 key pledges: 1. Doubling of salaries; 2. Green parks in every district with 300 units of free electricity for the poorest; 3. Education for all; 4. Free health; 5. Three million houses for the poor; 6. Expansion of the Benazir Bhutto Income Support Program; 6. Benazir Kisan/Hari Card will be issued; 8. Benazir Mazdoor (workers) Card will be issued; 9.’Youth Card’ will be launched for the financial support of the youth; 10. A hunger eradication to combat poverty and inflation

However, PPP fails to say how all this will be paid for given the dire economic crisis the country finds itself in with mounting foreign debts, crippled industrial base, rising inflation, huge energy and fuel crisis, devastating costs of living, and piling poverty.

Meanwhile, PML-N has been somewhat coy about revealing its manifesto pledges. One would have thought the party would have been the first to publish its election manifesto, but this has not been the case.

Read More:https://thepenpk.com/2023-political-landscape/

The party’s senior figures seem to suggest that they would want to take time to consider and scrutinise their election pledges to be confident that they would be deliverable. Very commendable, but something does not connect.

However, an outline of the PML-N manifesto pledges has emerged centred around tackling inflation, economic revival, eradicating unemployment and poverty, amending national accountability laws, and enhancing the local government system.

It is also suggested that the PML-N government will also determine whether caretaker governments are necessary for elections or if the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) alone can handle the responsibility, mirroring practices in neighbouring countries. Some sections of the Charter of Democracy (CoD) may be incorporated into the manifesto.

The questions raised above about the practicality of the pledges by PPP also apply to PML-N. Both parties are very cagey about how they would go about getting the economy and finances of the country back on track, which would hold the key to the implementation of the stated pledges.

Political parties have a responsibility not only to explain to the electorate what they hope to achieve but also how that will be achieved. This is the starting point for political transparency.

The author is a British citizen of Pakistani origin with a keen interest in Pakistani and international affairs.

The article is the writer’s opinion, it may or may not adhere to the organization’s editorial policy.