By the time these lines appear in print, Pakistan will have held its general elections. The elections are bound to be anything but free and fair.
While I am writing this article, chyrons across television screens are announcing about two different bomb blasts ripping through political offices of two candidates in Pishin and Qila Saifullah areas of Balochistan killing dozens of people.
Two Bs — bullets and bombs–have become synonyms with elections in Pakistan. The Bs are witnessed well-nigh in every election the country has experienced. The country’s tryst with political violence dates back to 1951 when the first Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan was pumped full of lead during a public meeting. Even some political assassinations went into the annals of history as mysteries.
During the 2024 National Assembly elections, a flurry of unusual developments that unfolded in the run up to the polls are tell-tale signs of the country’s crumbling democracy. Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister and his colleagues were barred from contesting elections. The party was also stripped of its electoral symbol and those who filed their nomination papers as independent candidates were witch hunted. The move could spur one to question the legitimacy of these elections after almost decimating a principal opposition party and deciding the results prior to polls.
The presence of a strong opposition is considered as an essential streak for the functioning of democracy. There is no gainsaying the fact that electoral democracy has failed to flourish in Pakistan. Its electoral history is littered with the worst instances of manipulations and frauds, let alone the large-scale political violence. The country could not hold its first direct elections till 1970. These historic elections, however, marked the beginning of Pakistan’s tryst with undemocratic practices, which ultimately resulted in the split of the country .
The victory of Mujibur Rehman, winning an absolute majority of 160 seats in East Pakistan ( today’s Bangladesh) followed by another win in provincial elections held barely a week later unsettled the Pakistani army and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto alike. The delay in the inauguration of the National Assembly led to unrest in Eastern parts and the rest is history.
The army played a crucial role in undermining the democracy in Pakistan along with its secret agencies. The country since its independence has remained in the grip of the military for over three decades and none of the Pakistani Prime Ministers has completed a full term in office.
The electoral history of Pakistan clearly reflects that even a popular government is elected with the blessing of the military.
Although popular, Khan at the high noon of his political career too enjoyed the support of the Army. Later, his acrimonious relations with the military cost him dearly and landed him in jail. In May 2013, the relations even went further downhill when his supporters damaged public property and attacked military installation following his arrest from a courtroom.
Very little hope exists for democracy to flourish in the country. However, any well-wisher of Pakistan could hope for at least a violence free if not fair elections.