Business Recorder op-ed writer Muhammad Waqar Rana has presented a highly fascinating perspective on the current political impasse in the country through his article ‘The farce of caretaker govts’ carried by the newspaper a couple of days ago. That the writer has argued out his case in an impressive manner is a fact.
According to him, for example, “the term of these unelected governments cannot go beyond 90 days as the constitution mandates to hold elections within the period given in the constitution. The war-ravaged Britain held elections in 1946 and voted out their war hero Winston Churchill. Pakistan lacks democratic credentials and its history is full of instances of manipulations and delays in elections.”
It is quite true that the country’s history is full of instances of manipulations and delays in elections. But the writer must appreciate the criticality of the situation that has been obtaining in the country since the removal of the then prime minister Imran Khan through vote of no-confidence against him last year.
The honorable writer must be very well aware of the fact that the case for postponing elections is often made during emergency situations, although holding regular elections is an essential feature of democratic practices.
The current situation in Pakistan, in my view, is no less than an emergency situation owing to a variety of reasons or factors. It warrants postponement of polls but on time-limited basis or for two to three months.
Hamid Nasir Chauhan (Lahore)
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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