As Imran Khan continues to lock horns with the Sharif government, the issue of appointing a new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of Pakistan remains unresolved. The Supreme Court has already expressed its displeasure with the government and opposition figures on failing to reach a consensus over the appointment of a credible person. Even after four extensions by the apex court, the standoff continues and could lead to serious repercussions for both Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and opposition leader Khurshid Shah.
The dilly-dallying over CEC’s appointment poses serious question marks about the future of electoral reforms in Pakistan. A free and transparent Election Commission is the key to holding free and fair election in the country and bring more credibility to the democratic system. Any elections tainted by corruption will only hurt democracy in Pakistan as people will lose faith in the election process. Imran Khan has been leading large sit-in protests and rallies across Pakistan to challenge the legitimacy of the Sharif government, who he accuses of hijacking May 2013 elections through massive rigging. However, his calls for the inclusion of intelligence personnel in a judicial commission to probe election results has largely been dismissed as an attempt to drag the military into politics.
The naming of a new CEC is only one step toward a long journey of electoral reforms in Pakistan. A credible judicial commission on elections will not only uncover the truth about Imran’s allegations, but also be useful in proposing effective changes to the polling system. In case the commission concludes that the elections were largely fair, the moral authority of Sharif government will be restored. This will allow the government to shift its attention from political battles to focus on more pertinent national issues, such as socioeconomic development, security, power crisis and corruption.
Although slow improvements have been made in Pakistan’s election system over the past decade, there is still a lot of room for progress and adoption of best international practices. The system needs to be more transparent with easy access to election-related information, independence of authorities supervising polls and other matters of public administration. Pakistan is obligated to fulfill these requirements under its own Constitution and other ratified international laws as well. At the same time, there is need to ensure that all citizens, including women and minorities, have equal right and opportunity to cast a vote through accurate and verified electoral rolls. In the current system, voting powers are heavily skewed against certain groups, which impedes the fairness of elections. Pakistan should learn valuable lessons from the success of election system in neighboring India. Holding elections in India, the world’s largest democracy, can be a perplexing affair. However, the country has been able to stage transparent elections by bringing election officials under strong public scrutiny, enforcing the right-to-information law and removing discretionary powers from officials who organize elections. Legislators and election officials in Pakistan need to make a concerted effort for electoral reforms in the country. All possible tools and information sources should be utilized to propose reforms in election laws and procedures, and implement them in true spirit.
