With less than four days in the culmination of election campaign, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf have emerged as the major rivals, with the Pakistan People’s Party and its allies MQM and ANP nowhere in the scene.
The PMA (PPP, MQM and ANP) parties are facing threats from the Taliban and their over 80 workers and supporters were killed in the series of bomb blasts and firing incidents. But credit goes to these parties that despite all threats and loss of life they are determined to allow no delay in the elections.
No doubt, the PML-N has an edge over its rivals, but PTI chief Imran Khan is close to it in this race. Comparing the PPP, ANP and MQM with the PML-N and PTI on this account would not be justified as they were forced to keep off this campaign. It is also a fact that the Punjab has almost two-third share in parliament and without winning this province no party could claim to have conquered Islamabad. Once the PPP was a force to reckon with in the Punjab, but now the PML N and PTI rule the roost.
Once Sharif brothers were the sole political proprietors of the Punjab but now they have been challenged by Imran Khan. From 1985 to 2013, Sharif brothers ruled the Punjab and Pakistan for more than 28 years and they had strong footings in the political structure of the Punjab. Politics and elections in this province were never a challenge to the Sharif family except in the 2002 elections when they were in exile. However, the election 2013 has become a real challenge rather a threat to their political empire.
Sharifs have fielded whole family in the election race against practically the sole rival Imran Khan. During the election campaign, most of the time Sharif brothers responded to Imran Khan’s proclamations against them and followed him instead of focusing on their future programme and the agenda. It was Imran Khan who gave the slogan of youth and Nawaz Sharif followed him, focusing on the youth in his rallies which look funny rather insulting to elders. Imran Khan’s pledge to hold local bodies election within three months and delegating powers at the local level has bothered Sharifs a lot.
In this frustration, they have announced to convert almost every city of Punjab into Lahore and their claim intimated that they had ignored the rest of the Punjab in the last five years. Shahbaz Sharif seems more panicky and two steps ahead on this account and in an election rally he announced to convert Samanabad, Lahore into Paris. On load shedding and energy issue, Imran Khan teased Sharifs so much that they started talking about provincial chauvinism and pledged that the Punjab alone was being deprived of electricity by the Zardari regime.
An insider disclosed that Mian Nawaz Sharif was also in favor of energy producing projects instead of going for Metro Bus Service, but he was advised that despite investing on energy projects considerable reduction in load shedding could not be ensured so it could be cashed in the election. However, Metro Bus could easily be cashed after which the vote goes in favor of this project. Above all, like Mian Nawaz Sharif’s motorway Shahbaz Sharif also wanted a mega project in his name.
Toeing the old agenda, Sharif brothers have nothing new to offer, while it’s Imran Khan after Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who came with a new agenda and a new political philosophy. It’s Imran’s success that Sharifs are following him despite that their position is better in the Punjab but in frustration they have given so importance to Imran Khan which he never owned.
When the second and third tier leadership of PML N noticed that Sharifs had taken Imran Khan as a real threat, they limited their role to their constituencies and are fighting for their survival. Apart from Sharif brothers, Hamza Shahbaz, Salman Shahbaz, Kulsoom Nawaz and Mariam Nawaz are also pitched in the election campaign. Mariam Nawaz’s introduction in power politics was a healthy sign.
Unfortunately, Sharif brothers’ ownership of party was so firm that they did not allow any non-Sharif second tier leadership due to which they are sharing the whole burden of election campaign and other affairs of the party. Same is the situation with Imran Khan, as he is carrying the entire responsibility of election campaign on his shoulders. Unfortunately, both the PML N and PTI are using a foul language against each other during the election campaign which is highly condemnable.
Pakistan People’s Party’s whole election campaign is based on the media. Though PML-N and PTI were also close to it on this account, the PPP leads the race. The PML-N is too much upset over the PPP’s media campaign showing telephonic talks between Shahbaz Sharif, former judge of Lahore High Court Malik Abdul Qayum and Saifur Rahman about some deal. This campaign is raising serious questions about the PML-N and damaging its position among the silent voters. Shahbaz Sharif has challenged it in the Lahore High Court but later withdrew his petition. The PML N is now much careful and instead of telephonic conversation it prefers face to face meetings.
The PPP is in a much comfortable position in the fight of two heavyweights, as its five-year performance was merely discussed, while the media and two bigwigs PTI and PML N were engaged in a duel. But a new trend in these elections is being noticed, as the PPP voters are willing to vote for the PTI candidate where their candidate is weak. If this trend developed further, it would be more damaging for the PML-N instead of the PPP.
As for the law and order and level playing field in these elections, it’s a fact that the experiment of ‘compromised’ and ‘consensus’ caretaker regime and Election Commission failed to deliver due to their incapability to handle the issues.
In future, the next parliament should go for professionals and those having the capability to deliver should run the caretaker government and the Election Commission instead of going for a weak and incapable consensus setup. Their honesty and commitment may be beyond doubt, but they were not chosen to pass an ‘honesty’ test but provide equal opportunities and peace for fair and free elections. They have failed to do this, so far.
The election campaign was being run freely in the Punjab only while liberal parties in the three provinces were not allowed to run their campaigns freely.
They were deprived of their constitutional, legal and democratic rights as extremists and terrorists have been given a license to kill. Credit goes to them that despite being the target of terrorists they are in the election race and they might be justified if in this situation they question the results of the maneuvered elections.

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