Why is the action against Imran Khan being toughened? Sarwar Bari, who was the head of a voluntary organization called ‘Fafen’, which works for free and fair elections, evaluates whether the elections were not held despite the demands of the people and the directions of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
The ruling class of Pakistan has proven more than once that the words of Karl Marx that ‘history repeats itself first as a tragedy and then as a farce’ are literally true. Although things started honorably with the recognition of adult suffrage as a right, the people’s election was defiantly and illegally subverted. Every subsequent election exercise has become a farce.
In March 1954, the first general elections were held in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). By 1971, it had turned into a bloody disaster. Instead of learning any lesson from it, the rulers tried to keep the people in perpetual misery. But we accepted each farce with perfect innocence as a new beginning.
For example, when Ayub Khan was deposed in 1968 following the student uprising, people celebrated the change. I still cannot forget the excitement that arose when General Yahya Khan announced the date of the general election to be held for the first time in the country with the recognition of adult suffrage.
As a 16-year-old then, I actively participated in the anti-Ayub Khan movement and faced police brutality. I believed in peaceful struggle and democratic elections to make a prosperous and egalitarian society possible. Although it later turned out to be a farce, I felt no guilt in my belief.
However, it is imperative to tell today’s youth about the farces of the elite. Let’s lay out some evidence for that:
I analyze the results of 14 elections since 1954 to verify the common perception that the system here has never allowed political parties to grow beyond a threshold of popularity and gain sufficient majorities in legislatures. My assessment was to confirm the general perception. Moreover, whenever the difference in votes between a party favorable to the elites and a party unpopular with them exceeded 30 percent, conspiracies were hatched to subvert the transfer of power or annul the election itself.
Four general elections were held between 1954 and 1977. The United Front government was dissolved shortly after its formation in 1954. In 1971, instead of respecting the wishes of the voters, there was a military operation supported by political allies. As in 1977, the new party coalition, unable to accept the election verdict, unleashed violent protests that culminated in military rule.
Three general elections were held between 1988 and 1993. Elections were held within 90 days of each change of government, as the difference in vote percentage was less than 16 percent. Nawaz Sharif came to power in 1997 with huge popular support. However, he was ousted in a military coup in 1999. That military rule lasted for a decade.
Between 2002 and 2018, the difference in vote percentage was only 17.5 percent, so elections were held at regular intervals. Even when Nawaz was ousted from the post of Prime Minister, the Pakistan Muslim League Party was able to complete its term of office. But Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party (PTI) has been denied even that right for trying to defend it.
Political scientists assumed that at least after Bangladesh came into existence, the leaders of the country must have realized the situation. It was completely wrong. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the country’s most popular leader, was hanged by Zia-ul-Haq’s generals without wasting any time.
Perhaps Bhutto will be the first ruler to be executed in the subcontinent. Despite many blunders, Bhutto’s ‘pathak’ was unshakable popularity. In the 1970 elections, his party won 75 percent of the seats. In the 1977 general elections, the number of seats increased even though the voter turnout decreased. Had the election been held within 90 days as promised by General Zia, Bhutto would have returned to power with a two-thirds majority. Bhutto himself was eliminated to prevent it.
As the popularity of Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party increased after the crackdown and persecution, so did support for Imran’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). In the 2018 general elections, the vote margin between PTI and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) was only 17.5 percent. Despite all the booth grabbing and violence, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) managed to win four seats in the 2022 Punjab provincial by-elections, while the PTI bagged 15 seats. According to recent opinion polls, Imran’s party is far ahead in popularity.
It is for this reason that the current administration has not agreed to hold general elections despite the clamor of the people and the Supreme Court has issued a definite order. The notion that the current administration is solely responsible for the derailment of democracy in Pakistan is wrong. On the contrary, a group of politicians joined hands with this wrong system and all this subversion and disorganization happened. And the farces go on and on.
(Summary of writing in The Express Tribune)
#Bhutto #Imran #Madhyamam
2023-05-11 01:39:58
