In the most fervently contested and watched NA-149 Multan by-election, Amir Dogar, an independent candidate backed by the PTI has won getting 52,321 votes against 38,393 of his main rival, Javed Hashmi, former PTI president who left the party, purportedly, on a point of principle. Even though, like Dogar, Hashmi too stood as an independent candidate, the PML-N fully supported him. As he himself acknowledged, "PML-N's local leadership worked hard [for my success]." Dr Javed Siddiqui, of the PPP, the second largest party in Parliament, finished a distant third with just 6,326 votes despite hard campaigning by the party's bigwigs in southern Punjab, former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Makhdoom Shahabuddin. A particularly positive aspect of the election is that whilst passions ran high, the polling went on in a peaceful manner. And Hashmi did something unusual in this country's electoral history when he openly accepted defeat in a gracious concession speech, congratulating his rival as well.
Needless to say, this election was about things far bigger than victory or defeat of individual candidates. The PTI had to prove it enjoyed popular support in its ongoing protest sit-in questioning Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's mandate on the basis of alleged vote rigging in the last national elections. The ruling party, by backing Hashmi, needed to disprove the PTI. Hashmi had his own reputation to save after having levelled serious charges against his former party Chairman Imran Khan of involvement in a conspiracy to oust the government through extra-constitutional means. Whether the public perceptions about any of the three players have changed remains a moot point. What is obvious is that the PTI has a large and growing public following. Hashmi has failed to secure the same seat as an independent candidate - supported by the ruling party - he had won from the PTI platform last year. The result should also worry the other major party, the PPP. Its candidate has done so badly that he is to lose even the security money. Hopefully, the leadership will undertake a serious analysis of the situation, identify reasons of such poor showing and make amends. The PPP with its long and hard struggle should stay as a strong political force on the national scene.
The PML-N may want to shrug off the result as a non-event like some of its leaders have. Yet it is a serious setback for the party. As regards the PM's position, there may be no immediate repercussions, but the PTI will use its triumph to up the pressure for the acceptance of its demands. Already the party's endless sit-in, which has now become a side show of massive rallies in various cities, is prolonging political uncertainty and undermining investor confidence. As a consequence the economy is in dire straits. The situation must not be allowed to cause further harm to the economy and the body politic. The government needs to adopt a more positive attitude than has been the case so far towards the mediatory efforts of parliamentary parties 'jirga' to end the political impasse. All players must act with a sense of responsibility towards the collective good rather than fighting their own small battles for power.
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