It is the time of general elections 2018 in Pakistan. Political parties have braced themselves to downplay their opponents, make mighty promises to the voters and carve out a festival like-ambiance in their constituencies by conducting rallies and holding corner meetings to lure the public for gaining votes.
Whenever an election season approaches in Pakistan, people see a light of hope that makes them see a change through the ballot box. But, what they see is a change in the faces of rulers rather than a much-awaited change in the system.
How Different Are General Elections 2018?
It is a good omen that Pakistan is seeing a democratic transition of power for the second consecutive time which is good for the strength of democracy in a country that has a history of coups and military rule. So, political parties in Pakistan are getting a chance to prove what they are capable of accomplishing if they get a chance to complete their tenure.
The question is whether a democratic transition of governments in the country is enough to set it on the road to prosperity and offer a workable solution to stop corruption in Pakistan or not.
Let’s have a look at how general elections 2018 are going to be different and what can be its outcome.
Politicians Facing Courts
As the polls date which is July 25, 2018, is approaching more politicians are facing the courts. As public representatives have geared up themselves for campaigns, the institutes like Supreme Court and NAB (National Accountability Bureau) have braced themselves for disqualifying and holding politicians accountable for corruption respectively. Most of the politicians who are facing trials belong to the PML-N the party that ruled Pakistan in last five years and its chairman, and then Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif was disqualified as a result of historic Panama case verdict.
Well, there is a perception or an opinion that PML-N’s top order leadership is facing courts for the party’s clashes with the establishment, which remains the real ruling force in the country irrespective of which party is in the government. So, judicial accountability is only focused on weakening the PML-N status in general elections 2018. Or, it is just another form of pre-poll rigging which is politically victimizing one particular party members.
A New Party in Power
Another new thing in the General election 2018 is the rise of PTI (Pakistan Tehreek I Insaaf) that brags about its overwhelming support from the youth of the country. It had emerged as the second most popular party in Pakistan as a result of general elections 2013 but could only manage to make government in KP (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) which is the northwestern province of Pakistan. The party rose to prominence due to its charismatic leader Imran Khan who led the country’s cricket team to win the 1992 World Cup. Further, it was the slogan for bringing a change and making justice a norm in the society that made the party become mainstream in the country’s politics.
If PTI manages to come in power as a result of general election 2018 then the country will see a new party running the government, and there will be a change. But, the issue is that PTI has already lost its image of a change maker for giving membership and party tickets to the electables from the old parties. So, there is no lack of critics who blame PTI for being another player in the dirty politics.
Further, it also faces criticism for allegedly being backed by the country’s establishment and its conservative policies.
An Election to Determine the Fate of Pakistan
In the age of social media Pakistani voter has become more informed than ever. And, the result of general election 2018 will have an impact on shaping the opinion. The people of the country are already looking for some new party to take reign of the government. And if PTI comes in power, they will somehow see a new face and if it fails to deliver the mighty promises it has made to the public, then the people Pakistan voter that has a majority of millennials population will have to look for some more productive alternatives. For a system that comes into being after the debate on all the aspects and brings out the best possible solution to Pakistan’s problems like lousy governance, lack of robust policymaking on foreign affairs and financial affairs, tackling the disgruntled nationalists, terrorism and deteriorating condition of the social sector.
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