October 21, 2022

Untimely and corrupt elections undermine Pakistan’s democracy

topic:	Election
located:	Pakistan
editor:	Shadi Khan Saif

A system of governance in which elections are not held on time and are marred by irregularities is less of the democracy it is intended to be and more an exploitative authoritarian system. However, Pakistani officials are either unaware of this, or choose not to care.

To them, voters are only deemed useful as headcounts needed to win an election. The essence and value of the polls are first tarnished when the timeliness of the polls are not given their due importance by the parties in power or the establishment controlling most of the political and social affairs.

This untimeliness then permits a string of violations and excuses that cannot be stopped until ultimately the elite use force to settle and run affairs, leaving the poor and vulnerable no choice but to suffer silently. It simply washes away the basic principle that the state is owned by all people - both rich and poor - and reinforces the idea that people with little means are the subordinates of those in command.

The idea that government officials are public servants is inexistant in both the major urban centres and in the more remote regions of the country, where people are exploited by local lords.

In Karachi, for instance, the largest city in Pakistan with over 20 million people, the long-due local elections have been delayed multiple times. In this age of technological advances, no excuse is acceptable for denying the people’s right to have a say in how they want to be governed and by whom.

This is just a small example of an overall trend and mindset that differentiates Pakistan from its immediate neighbour India, where nothing is perfect but the ownership of the election process and the value of a public office are respected more.

The undermining of the electoral process due to the culture of bad governance and the regular military interventions have weakened the sturdiness of Pakistan as a nation and has plunged its inhabitants into crisis.

The way things stand, Pakistanis need to prioritise earning back their right and power to vote so that a long journey towards accountability, reforms and freedom can begin.

Image by Supreme Court of Pakistan

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