While hundreds of supporters and thousands of reporters gathered outside the house of the candidate who won Sunday’s high-stake by-election in Lahore, the most fundamental facts about the polls were being ignored. Here’s an insight on Pakistan’s most talked about by-election.
Part 1: The truth about the candidates:
Abdul Aleem Khan – Starting his career as a lowly provincial minister during the Musharraf regime not too long ago, Abdul Aleem Khan worked hard to climb the political ladder, ultimately replacing Justice (r) Wajihuddin Ahmed to become a founding member of PTI only two years after joining the party. Here’s his profile:
Age: Two years in PTI
History: Not interested in the subject.
Views on Economy: None. Always travels in business class.
Social views: Not very social since the election result.
Major campaign spending: Twitter trends
Claim to fame: Joined the PTI
Had any chance of winning Sunday’s election: No!
Home constituency: Internet comments
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq – The 61-year-old Aitchison college graduate began politics in 1996 as an aide of his childhood friend Imran Khan, who began politics much earlier in the cricket dressing room when he was playing for Pakistan. The two fell apart two years later, when they couldn’t agree on who was at fault in a mutual school fight involving hockey sticks 40 years ago. Some facts about him:
Age: Same as Imran Khan
Social views: Supports mustache. Either a hipster from Brooklyn or still living in the 1980s.
Claim to fame: None so far
Political beliefs: None so far
Most recent job on CV: Speaker of National Assembly before a ban on misuse of speakers
Secret wish: To hit Imran Khan with a hockey again
Part 2: What do people think?
“The margin was narrow. I think Imran Khan wasn’t abusive enough in his speeches this time, so he couldn’t get the message across.” – Raju Raspotin, Lahore
“We lost by only 2,000 votes. I believe those 2,000 people are my followers on Twitter, they seem to be fake accounts. The election commission should learn the new Twitter API to update their list.” – Nasreen Nimko, Karachi
“Now that the election is over, will the candidates get back all the money they have spent? I think Aleem Khan should be compensated from
the chief minister’s fund for victims of disasters.” – Jumbo Jutt, Faisalabad
“Wait what? The election was only in Lahore? Why was it on TV all day here in Quetta?” – Hairan Khan, Quetta
“I guess Imran Khan will have to try some other filthy rich man with poor political skills and no influence in the party, to compete in the next by-election after another year of protests and sit-ins. The most appropriate person of that qualification is Imran Khan himself.” –Sally Sialkoti, Sialkot
“The most positive thing for PTI was that federal ministers Saad Rafique and Pervaiz Rasheed broke the law to support Ayaz Sadiq’s campaign, resulting in a significant dent in the level-headed leader’s reputation in the constituency.” – Tajziya Nigar, Islamabad
Part 3: Why PTI lost the election
1) A week before the election, when campaigning was at its peak, Facebook became inaccessible for hours. It was a most serious incident of its kind in years. The service failure cost PTI prime campaign time. “If you look at how narrow the margin is, it is clear that a few more hours of abusive comments on Facebook could have convinced enough extra voters to make us win this election,” an independent analyst from the PTI told this scribe.
2) The biggest reason for Aleem Khan’s loss in the by-poll is Aleem Khan, some researchers of the opinion. “The only thing he had to justify during the election campaign was himself,” one observer said. “It is true that even if Imran Khan announces support for a tree, the tree will win,” he elaborated. “Aleem Khan is like a tree in some ways. Trees too are often accused of taking up people’s land by force. But according to our data, most trees have never been ministers in the PML-Q cabinet.”