The Lahore Press Club roundabout was divided with barricades last month because of two protests. The demos were two but their cause was one — alleged rigging and manipulation in the just concluded elections.
On the one side were Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf activists calling for a recount in six constituencies including one in Karachi and five in Punjab by verifying the thumb impressions of the voters.
On the other side were activists of Ahl-e-Sunnah-Wal-Jamaat (ASWJ), formerly Sipah-e-Sahaba-Pakistan leveling allegations of rigging and manipulation.
The ASWJ, contested the elections under the aegis of the Muttahida Deeni Mahaz (MDM), a united front of religious factions, which failed to secure even a single seat in the National Assembly, according to the Election Commission of Pakistan official statistics.
Rigging is the most popular post-election resort of the candidates and political parties in Pakistan — ‘believing’ that their mandate has been ‘stolen’. The major disappointment pertained to the dashed hopes of PTI, which still emerged as second largest popular party in term of the overall votes, but cited multiple incidents of rigging, mismanagement, and highhandedness in various polling stations across the country.
In a society and state like Pakistan, allegations of rigging and mismanagement are easily believed because people know from experience that this happens and now the availability of mobile phones and the growth of social media have made it even easier to offer credible evidence.
The ECP has announced that overall voter turnout in the 2013 general elections was 55.02% — a remarkable increase since the 1980s.
The PML-N got the majority with 14.8 million votes while PTI followed with 7.5 million. The Pakistan People’s Party only managed 6.8 million.
Cases of manipulation in some areas in Karachi and North Waziristan were proved led to re-polling.
“The whole nation wants to move ahead now after the elections and the PTI also wants to move ahead as well, but there are serious apprehensions about elections. People are protesting about the rigging and they are not out on the call of PTI,” party chairman Imran Khan clarified in a video message after the election results.
He said the turnout this time had been historic and people who once looked down upon the democratic process in Pakistan came out to cast their vote.
“If we don’t remove their apprehensions, their trust in the democratic process will be shattered. Their satisfaction and removing of their apprehensions regarding rigging would strengthen their confidence in the election process.”
Former secretary ECP Kanwar Dilshad admitted there are faults and loopholes in the system but legally, Returning Officers (ROs) can be held accountable for any rigging, manipulation or mismanagement.
He felt the careless attitude of ROs was the main issue in terms of dealing with the shortcomings and that the ECP must hold ROs accountable for these manipulations, if there are any.
“Usually, it has been seen that ROs, which are normally from the judiciary, do not implement the code and rules in letter and spirit,” he admitted, adding, “while seeing the kind of proofs, videos on media, I have no doubt in saying that the sanctity of ballot was violated at many places at local level.”
Dilshad added there were no evidences of any organizational or large-scale level rigging, only individual. “The role of ROs was like that of General Niazi in the East Pakistan debacle,” Dilshad bristled.
Secondly, he said, there is a need to improve the election system and bring major procedural reforms to ensure cleaner elections the next time. He said the political parties had a major role in taking up this issue and suggested the formation of a parliamentary committee or commission to discuss reforms in the next elections immediately after the new assembly takes oath.
Reacting to the rigging allegations, Jamaat-e-Ulema Islami chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the main rival of Imran’s party, has also accused PTI of rigging in the provincial elections.
He has refused to accept the mandate of PTI as the leading party and called on supporters to stage a protest against alleged rigging in the province. He also hit out at the ECP for its failure to conduct free, fair and transparent elections.
The JUI-F secured 16 seats in the 99-member KP Assembly while the PTI won 34 seats.
Shaukat Javed, former director of Intelligence Bureau who also served as police chief in the Punjab, says the police had no role in any manipulation. He maintained that if there were manipulations, those are mostly possible before the caretaker set-up when the ECP asks the district administrations for the polling scheme. Sometimes, the local influential groups manage to have presiding officers of their choice at some polling stations to get favours.
“The solution lies in changing the system,” he said, while giving the example of India where they have abolished printed ballot paper and replaced it with electronic one.
“We need reforms in the ECP and we need to move forward towards electronic system by ending this obsolete system of balloting where there are clear chances of violation of the sanctity of the ballot, allowing the opponents to make the process doubtful and seem manipulated.”
He also noted that in India now the elections are held in parts to make sure transparency and fairness.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan has also set aside the petitions of PTI and Jamaat-e-Islami regarding rigging in general elections. Voices against rigging would continue as many candidates would move to the election tribunals but the parliamentary system would move on. The large turnout this time must be taken as a wakeup call for the newly empowered ECP. There is a need to improve the system while living within the system to make the electoral process transparent.
The writer is a journalist based in Lahore.
