The element of uncertainty in the conduct of elections in Pakistan has become a socio-political narrative. The country’s political system and powerful institutions have repeatedly given evidence of their efforts to make uncertainty into a political and social narrative.
This matter has been going on since the 2018 election. At that time, a large section of the public and the private were sure to say that the PTI government had come to power for ten years.
After that, the question was raised that the next election will be a mere action?
This narrative was made so much that recently Asif Ali Zardari gave an interview to senior journalist Hamid Mir and said that if we had not expelled Imran, he would have formed the government till 2028 through a soldier.
After the end of Imran Khan’s government in April 2022, the uncertainty in holding the election intensified.
In July, when by-elections were held in 20 provincial constituencies and the PTI showed a surprising performance, the PTI’s popularity began despite losing power. In Punjab, the Chief Ministers changed one after the other.
Then on January 14, 2023, the Punjab Assembly was dissolved and a caretaker setup was formed. Provincial elections were to be held in Punjab on May 14, 2023, which did not take place.
Later, the National Assembly was dissolved prematurely to allow a ninety-day break for elections, but the Election Commission refused to hold elections within ninety days.
In this way, when the constitutional period could not be observed in holding the election, the uncertainty of the delay in the election turned into certainty.
This is the reason why there is a lack of activities at the local level across the country at the moment even though only two months and a few days are left for the date of the election.
Similarly, two petitioners from Balochistan have knocked on the Election Commission’s door and requested delay in the date of general elections.
In his petition, he mentioned the security situation in the province and the snowfall in February and requested that the elections be held after the snowfall.
