Political stability is fundamental to the country’s economic prosperity and integrity. It has become all the more necessary in the face of challenges which have been facing the country on the external front in the shape of global economic slowdown and on the internal front in the shape of price spiral and deepening political uncertainty. As the bye-elections to the National Assembly draw nearer, the interim dispensations in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Punjab provinces have seemingly come under increasing pressure after one month of the dissolution of the two provincial legislatures to meet their legal obligations and assist the Election Commission of Pakistan in holding the polls within the constitutional timeframe.
As such, the Lahore High Court has written to that the election watchdog to immediately announce the Punjab Assembly elections after consulting the provincial governor and ensure that the elections are held within 90 days of the dissolution of the assembly. The current high political temperature demands that the elections to the dissolved Punjab Assembly be held within the constitutional period itself. The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party has already raised a storm over the alleged delay or postponement of the elections and announced Jail Bharu Tehreek to force the authorities to announce the poll date. If the government unduly postpones the elections due to political expediency, then the path will be paved for chaos in the country, which will deepen the political instability.
Therefore, the election body should fulfill its constitutional responsibility by conducting elections within 90 days of the dissolution of the two provincial assemblies as per the instructions of the Lahore High Court. The president has also sent a letter to the Election Commissioner of Pakistan to remind it of its constitutional responsibilities. Article 220 of the Constitution obliges the federal and provincial institutions to assist the Election Commission. The government should fulfill this constitutional requirement by fully cooperating in the light of the High Court’s directive. As per details shared by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), seventy-six candidates have filed nomination papers for the March 16 by-elections on eight NA constituencies of the province. All eight former PTI MNAs, who had resigned from the seats, are among them. The eight constituencies include NA-4 Swat, NA-17Haripur, NA-18 Swabi, NA-25 Nowshera, NA- 26 Nowshera, NA-32 Kohat, NA-38 Dera Ismail Khan and NA-43 Khyber.
For the upcoming by-elections on eight National Assembly constituencies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf has fielded its old guards who have been repeatedly in power and held important positions multiple times. This is also because the party has prioritized the winners of the 2018 elections as well as their influential leaders in ticket distribution. However, some dissident and critical voices including those with high probability of winning their seats have been denied poll tickets. Many current nominees are finding themselves in increasingly dire straits. In addition to the tense political campaign, an increasing number of PTI candidates and top officials have been falling victim to malicious campaign on the streets. To say the least, a strong political will is required to take the nation onboard before making any tough decisions to tackle the challenges.
