Responding to the widespread criticism of the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP's) role in one of the most controversial elections in Pakistan's history, ECP Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Mohammad came out all guns blazing at a press conference on July 31. Rejecting at the very outset the recent multi-party conference's demand for the resignation of all office bearers of the ECP, including the Chief Election Commissioner, he asked the critics to desist from indulging in a blame game and respect the people's mandate. He then went on to characterise all the allegations about the elections not being free, fair and transparent as not only deplorable but also contrary to the facts. While Secretary Yaqoob's statement that people exercised their franchise in a free environment (flaws and shortcomings notwithstanding) can be acceptable up to a point, that is not where the bulk of the complaints about the election process lie. To then go on to assert that not a single complaint with regard to rigging has so far been received by the ECP is to miss the wood for the trees. Could the explanation for this 'silence' on the part of the critics lie in a lack of confidence in the competence and impartiality of the very institution being blamed for the mess? And when the Secretary advises the critics to seek redress through lawful means, he fails to acknowledge the pragmatic and wise decision of all the complaining political parties (with the notable exception, of course, of the PTI) not to take the issue to the streets, seek remedy through the laid down procedures, and enter parliament under protest. Assertions to the effect that a level playing field was provided to all parties pre-poll and quoting the foreign and local election observers in defence of the election process (although it must be noted that these observers, with limited time and access, gave only a qualified clean chit to the polls) may reflect the ECP Secretary's desperate attempt to paint the ECP's performance in rosy colours, but to most independent opinion and the overwhelming majority of political parties in the field, they fail to cut it. Criticism of the elections is focused on the inexplicable plethora of complaints that polling agents were turfed out during vote count, security personnel 'commandeered' the count in many quoted instances, the results were inordinately delayed, partly because the ECP's much touted Result Transmission System broke down (contested by NADRA that developed the RTS for ECC) partly because the polling staff was poorly trained. Recount applications appear not to have been dealt with even-handedly, arousing more concerns about the transparency of the counting process.

Apart from the demonstrated poor training of polling staff, reports from the field say adequate stationery was not available at many polling stations, causing avoidable delays in the voting process throughout the day. If one were to sum up the ECP's performance, it would not be unfair to characterise it as hopeless in terms of credibility. The ECP cannot simply shrug off or ignore the fact that it is at the centre of the political storm set off by an election few have passed as meeting the minimum norms of a democratic exercise of the people's will. Babar's mea culpa on behalf of his organisation therefore fails to satisfy even those prepared to give the benefit of the doubt to the ECP, let alone all those who have rejected outrightly the election's outcome while swallowing the bitter pill of now having to deal with its aftermath. To quote democratic principles to refute its critics is all very well, but the ECP and its worthy Secretary should also take into consideration the widespread criticism and condemnation they have had heaped on their heads because of the flawed (and worse) polling exercise. In established democracies, such a storm of criticism would have persuaded the members of the institution under attack to take the honourable route and go home. However, Pakistan's uncertain path to such a democracy still confronts many hurdles. The ECP's performance in the 2018 elections may well be quoted in future as one such example.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2018