It would be an understatement to say that the by-elections in Daska (NA-75) were controversial. The widespread allegations of fraud—leading to a case before a five-member bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja—are a troubling indication of the short-term future of politics in Pakistan.
PTI’s defence was that the irregularities of 20 polling stations in the constituency did not make it right to say that the final outcome itself should be challenged. PML-N demanded a forensic audit of votes cast in the 20 polling stations whose results are questionable. PPP senior leader and Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani insisted that not only there should re-poll but also those responsible must be punished.
By ordering a repolling, the ECP made the right decision—there were just far too many inconsistencies for the results of the by-election to be completely credible. Presiding officers in the constituency going missing for seven hours is not something to take lightly.
What is fascinating—and unfortunate for the government—is how quickly polarising this by-election became. What PTI perhaps saw as a way to win a National Assembly seat in a PML-N heartland has backfired as the area remains more polarised than ever, and now the government faces allegations of rigging as well. The by-election should be a lesson to the government to not underestimate the extent of support PML-N still enjoys in some parts of Punjab.
However, the mess has been made; it is still the government’s right to fix it. PTI is justified in appealing the by-election results; the party has agreed to re-polling several times in the past. However, any action the government plans to take, it must do so quickly—any matter concerning the democratic process needs to be resolved with urgency.