Following disputed elections, Pakistan has been in the limelight of national and international media and political settings. Thus, the ongoing media discussions encircling Thursday's national elections are described as "debatable." I applied an in-depth research approach which resulted in single-word phrases like “rigging,” “controversial” and “engineering” behind the scenes.
After spending days of long research, I barely found any evidence that could challenge floating allegations that the Pakistan military was behind the elections. Prominent sources such as Deutsche Welle (DW) said, “Pakistan elections: military’s clout overshadows polls.” The Guardian's headline read, “Pakistan voters’ rejection of military rule: a victory for democracy.” The Economist's headline was, “Confusion reigns in Pakistan’s rigged election.” And France24's headline read, “The ‘generals’ elections’ in Pakistan that turned against the military." These publications all offer a glimpse into the prevailing opinions of recent polls.
Certainly, Western media can be put on trial if their reporting is false. It is legally allowed in the West.
Now then, the military establishment recommends “unity” in the country. Fair enough, unity is the best way forward, but the military establishment has shown no remorse or denial of its institutional involvement in the elections. Previous military leaders have declared a policy of “disengagement from politics” but it seems that was an empty slogan.
Today, young, educated Pakistanis have lost faith in the political system and its transparent working. The result is large-scale disappointment and growing resentment in youth, the future of Pakistan.
Even if people accept that the military establishment’s policy of interference in general elections is in good faith and that the establishment’s role in creating political parties, selecting, promoting and supporting the “selected” politician’s argument is on solid evidential grounds, still, an unaddressed corruption among its high ranks remains a stain to be cleared. Generals, like politicians, have long faced accusations of mismanagement, fueling resentment among the masses. Consequently, Pakistan’s political highway carries hard bends.
Surely, the army remains a major player in politics but a sole entity that derailed political systems deeply rooted in Pakistan’s colonial past. Pakistan’s popular Prime Ministers Z. A. Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan have all accused the United States and the Pakistani established class of engineering elections, prepoll rigging and finally toppling their governments.
Bhutto famously said, "The United States could not forgive him for failing to support the U.S. role in Vietnam and for supporting the Arab cause against Israel."
In a similar vein, Khan proclaimed a "U.S. conspiracy against him," although he took a "U-turn, no longer blaming the U.S. for his ouster as PM" due to "laughably thin" evidence. Correspondingly, the longest-serving Premier Nawaz Sharif accuses Pakistan’s army chief of toppling his government. This state of affairs can be best explained in the words of Bhutto: "The price of dictatorship."
Now that the “controversial elections” are over, political parties are haggling to form a coalition government. Some experts believe that “the military is still pulling the strings in Pakistan’s elections.” So, it is the best time to assess unfolding events leading to “Pakistan’s post-election crisis.”
The ongoing disturbances in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) provinces and rising tensions on western and eastern borders are associated with Pakistan’s fragile economy. There are clear signs of political instability ahead in the nation. The best single-line explanation would be “a tough pill to swallow.”
By all standards, politics is a tricky business. Since my school years, I have lived with these popular notions; “American interference,” “military establishment engineering,” “rigging,” “controversial elections,” “toppling elected governments” and “horse-trading.”
However, holding fairer elections also poses a test to a democratic nation. Authentic data source reveals that many Americans still believe the 2020 election was stolen from former U.S. President Donald Trump, whereas evidently speaking, the U.S. has a history of “rigging.” So, what can one expect from Pakistan? After all, mostly it is the establishments that run countries.
Whether one would like it or not, as the post-election crisis is unfolding, swift political chaos is on the rise. In the next phase, those involved in the May 9 riots and attacks on the military, an event also branded as “Pakistan’s '9/11 attack," will face tough retributions. Hence, it seems the country will go to by-elections in several constituencies.
Professor Ayesha Jalal thinks that an anti-army vote may deliver an unstable government that "falls into the military’s hand.” Other experts suggest only a strong government can negotiate peace treaties with neighbors, enhance trade relations abroad and make some tough decisions on Pakistan’s foreign policy in challenging times.
A leading analyst, Lt. Gen. (retired) Talat Masood, former chairperson of the POFs board says, “Surely, there would be immense pressure as it intervenes basic democratic norms. But as you understand the army leadership to cut the PTI size, Election Commission and PML-N in collusion with our weak democratic culture which is not unexpected. However, times have changed, and it's not necessary that history will repeat itself.”
It is not the first time that election results reflect massive rigging or the masses' mandate being stolen and later compromised for the sake of good for the country. A pile of evidence shows that in the past, today's parties in power including the PPP, PTI and PMLN all were engaged in and endorsed rigging. For example, Asif Zardari is known for making political alliances in sophisticated words offering carrots to politicians. Think of the U.S. Senate elections of 2021 as a “rigged one.”
“The country's political position became highly precarious because of these recent election outcomes. None of the parties have a clear majority candidate, but a group of PTI-independent candidates have won the most seats, although there have been multiple accusations of electoral fraud and manipulation," professor Tahir Abbas said.
“Meanwhile, Imran Khan, who was once seen as a legendary figure and now represents mythological status to some, is currently detained in prison with little indication of his imminent release. This is an outcome that no one predicted or had planned for. And now the pieces of the chessboard of Pakistani politics will be moved around, although it is also true that authority ultimately will need to have the approval of the powerful establishment military complex,” he added.
To sum up the matter, let’s borrow George Orwell’s famous phrase “doublespeak,” which perfectly fits into Pakistan’s general elections scenario. The 2018 election was "good" and the 2024 election was "bad" because the former election helped endorse “Project Imran Khan,” while the recent one is exploited to systematically purge Khan's return to power.
Both the establishment and the political leadership must note that history repeats itself. None of the armies have ever won any battle without public support nor do politicians secure victory without a real public mandate. How long can this coalition government survive? Will it guarantee equal rights and speedy justice for all Pakistanis?
Pakistan stands at a crossroads, and as The Beatles song suggests, "Life is very short, and there's no time for fussing and fighting."
