Political Scene: Murky and Uncertain
Ishtiaq Ahmed
London: The elections for the National and Provincial assemblies in our beloved country concluded on 8th February 2024 to leave the national political scene murky and uncertain amidst allegations of being the most tempered elections in the history of Pakistan.
Foreign media, observer groups and the United States, Britain and the European Union have questioned the fairness of the elections.
The Pakistan Tehrek-e-Insaaf (PTI) backed independent candidates won the most number of seats followed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
These elections followed the two years of political crisis and turmoil that followed the ousting of Imran Khan led PTI government in 2022 to be replaced by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), a makeshift coalition government of PML-N, PPP and other pretenders to the throne.
For records, it should be noted that in the run up to the elections, Imran Khan was jailed and disqualified in somewhat hastily organised series of legal court decisions. His party, the PTI was forced to field its candidates as independents after a controversial Supreme Court ruling stripped them off their electoral symbol.
The strong showing of PTI backed independents must a huge source of embarrassment and consternation for the other two main political parties who must have thought that with IK/PTI out of the way, their electoral path to power was clear but the nation’s electorate had other design.
Read more: https://thepenpk.com/election-day-voters-dilemma/
For political archives, it should also be noted that Nawaz Sharif had also been sentenced for 7 years on corruption charges. However, after serving 12 months of his 7-year sentence he was granted permission to travel to London for medical treatment on the pretext that he would return in four weeks but he never did. The four weeks turned to four years. Consequently, he was declared a fugitive in 2021 for failing to appear before courts despite summons.
In October 2023, he returned to the country on a protective bail and thereafter his sentence was set aside and his lifetime disqualification controversially removed to allow him to take part in the elections with the aspiration of becoming the prime minister of the country for the fourth time.
One former Prime Minister sentenced to remove him out of the election race and the other former prime minister pardoned to become the next Prime Minister for the fourth the time. Such are the belief defying vagaries of Pakistan’s political and legal unraveling.
In the latest move, PML-N, PPP, MQM and others are contemplating a coalition government with Nawaz Sharif perhaps the Prime Minister. This would be the preferred option for the strong establishment. However, things are still murky. After all, Nawaz Sharif may still get his way but this could be a poisonous chalice for him.
Only braves may predict what is stored for Pakistan as it moves forward.
Needs wider publicity: He admitted sexual assault by penetration. He has previous convictions but no history of sexual offences. He appeared in court via video link from HMP Doncaster where he was being held on remand.
Mitigating, Geraldine Kelly said the incident had shocked those who know him, claiming they trusted him around their children. She acknowledged he had a problem with alcohol which developed after his wife died at the age of 33.
She said: “He had no idea that he behaved the way he did. It’s out of character to commit sexual offences. He is not sexually attracted to children he tells me. It was difficult got him to accept his guilt because it’s not how he knows himself to behave in drink or otherwise. It was the scientific evidence that showed him that it must have been right.”