Rigging claims
THE PTI claims to have “all the evidence” against what it asserts was a rigged election this February. The party has released a “white paper” alleging widespread electoral manipulations, specifically the fudging of Form-47, which consolidates polling data. The document highlights discrepancies between preliminary results on Form 45, which showed PTI leading, and the final results on Form 47, prepared without PTI representatives in breach of electoral laws.
It also shows examples of vote count reversals where the alleged manipulation of Form 45 shifted outcomes significantly in favour of PTI’s opponents. Furthermore, it cites instances of manipulation in Form 47 itself by Returning Officers who reportedly altered final tallies. The paper also goes into the events that preceded the elections, highlighting administrative actions by the caretaker set-up allegedly favouring certain political factions, media censorship, and internet blackouts allegedly aimed at suppressing the party’s reach.
While the PTI’s grievances seem genuine, the report itself is little more than consolidation of all that its leaders have been contending for the past three months. Moreover, while the party has called for resignation of the chief election commissioner, demanded that the Supreme Court expedite the hearing of their pending petitions, proposed the formation of an independent judicial commission to probe the allegations and implement sweeping electoral reforms, it would do even better to play a constructive role in parliament and push for the said reforms, rather than be the disruptive force it has historically been. At the same time, while playing their legislative role, the PTI must keep bringing forth such ‘evidence’, which they have indicated they will in future ‘papers’.
The PTI’s allegations are not new; most elections in Pakistan have been controversial, and it is almost a given that results will be challenged by the losing side. The legitimacy of the 2018 elections was in doubt as well, when the PTI itself came to power, and of several elections before that. The sad fact remains that whoever is close to the powers that be is given an edge, with the ECP either powerless to act or worse, complicit.
The sole pathway for the ECP to recover the integrity that is constantly being questioned now, is to conduct an audit of the contested election results forthwith. This audit should be conducted immediately, openly, with all relevant stakeholders invited to observe the process. Moreover, there is a dire need for this rigging issue to find a permanent resolution, for all elections to come.
Unless the major political parties realise the need for drastic electoral reforms, and for the ECP to be empowered, the losing side will always kick up a storm after every election and the political stability that the nation so sorely needs, may remain out of reach.
Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2024
Gaza’s wasteland
SINCE the start of hostilities on Oct 7, Israel has put in ceaseless efforts to depopulate Gaza, and make the Strip uninhabitable. While the death toll over the past seven months has crossed 34,000, recent comments by UN officials illustrate the extent of the devastation. As per the UN’s Assistant Secretary General Abdallah al-Dardari, Gaza would require a post-conflict rebuilding effort not seen since World War II. The savage Israeli assault has resulted in around 37m tonnes of debris, which is said to be more than the amount of rubble generated in the Ukraine-Russia war, a much wider conflict geographically. This reconstruction effort could cost over $40bn. UN experts also fear that thousands of bodies are likely buried under the rubble in the occupied territory. Only when Tel Aviv stops its murderous campaign can the true picture of Gaza’s destruction emerge.
Certainly, the aforementioned details confirm that Israel’s leading lights seek to raze Gaza. If they are allowed by the world to continue — and if the impending assault on Rafah proceeds — they will have succeeded in their horrific mission. Meanwhile, Hamas remains undefeated, while Israeli captives have yet to be recovered by Tel Aviv. Perhaps to make up for failure on all fronts, the Zionist state’s rulers are determined to continue their orgy of violence targeted at the Palestinian people. The talk of rebuilding and its costs is premature; first the Israeli onslaught must be stopped. Ceasefire talks facilitated by regional states continue, but at present there is little hope of success, mainly because many of the extremists inside Israel’s ruling coalition will apparently not rest until every Palestinian in Gaza has been exterminated. One way to end Israeli butchery could be through an international arms embargo against the Zionist state, just as apartheid South Africa was penalised by a UN Security Council resolution. But this will be difficult to implement because Israel’s Western friends — who are resolutely offering it ‘ironclad’ support, even as it commits genocidal violence — will do all in their power to block such a move. Perhaps the only hope to punish Israel lies in the actions of brave states like Colombia, which has severed ties with Tel Aviv, as well as courageous students across the Western world who have taken to the streets to protest their respective governments’ complicity in the Gazan massacre.
Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2024
Housing scams
THE story of illegal housing schemes in Punjab is the story of greed, corruption and plunder. Major players in these frequent scams are well-connected real estate investors backed allegedly by unscrupulous politicians and facilitated by a corrupt bureaucracy. The victims are middle-class individuals, aspiring for a permanent roof over their heads. However, instead of being able to fulfil their dream and buy a house, tens of thousands have collectively lost billions in hard-earned rupees. A report submitted by the Punjab Planning & Development Department to the Supreme Court reveals that over 1,100 private housing schemes in 11 districts across the province are illegal because they do not have the requisite approval from the authorities concerned. In other words, the sponsors of these schemes cannot advertise their ‘projects’ that offer plots for sale to an unsuspecting public. Most such schemes exist only on paper; in fact, land for the housing society is obtained only when plots that don’t actually exist are sold. To hoodwink potential buyers, it is falsely claimed that the required regulatory approval has been obtained. There is neither a mechanism nor the will to stop them.
Interestingly, the sponsors of most schemes even secure power connections from distribution companies with the help of dishonest officials. Besides robbing ordinary people of their savings, the greed of real estate developers is annihilating large swathes of fertile agricultural land and fruit orchards around the cities, resulting in unplanned urban growth at the expense of food security and the environment. The Planning & Development Department’s report is not the first of its kind. The question is: does the government have any intention of taking measures to halt the architects of such fraudulent projects? For obvious reasons, we have seen promised action against these schemes fall apart even before it gets underway. The preparation of such reports are a waste of time, effort and money if no action is taken.
Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2024