Waqas Shabbir |
Pakistan Tehrek- Insaaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has vowed to stand by Pakistan’s military and completely destroy the internal and external elements of the international establishment for colluding to make July 25 elections controversial. Imran Khan addressed a huge gathering in Karachi on a last-ditch series of campaign rallies across Pakistan in a final effort to win votes ahead of much-awaited Wednesday’s election.
On the last day of the campaign in Lahore, he repeated his rhetoric and persuaded the people of Pakistan to defeat the narrative of Nawaz Sharif and international establishment. Khan passionately spoke to the audience as he once-again put forward the dream of Naya Pakistan and assured that more rooms are being constructed in Adiala Jail to house corrupt politicians.
Being a leader with presence across Pakistan in all provinces, Khan’s speech not only covered the Karachi’s regional issues but national issues. He lamented Indian media for making the Pakistani elections controversial. Indian’s leading channels and newspapers have regularly published material to blame Pakistan’s military establishment for meddling in the election process.
Imran pointed that Indian never raised the questions over the rigging in 2013 only because they supported Nawaz as PM. Indian defense analyst confess that Nawaz was their man in Pakistan.
The Indian Express published an article titled-Pakistan elections: no contest assured victory. It suggested that it does not matter who wins, because, “no matter which politician becomes Prime Minister, it’s the Pak Army that will win.” Other newspapers have also argued that it’s a fixed match between Imran Khan and Army.
Having seen Indian media speaking against Pakistan’s interests against the convicted criminal, Khan lashed out at these voices and alleged that it is protecting the jailed former PM Nawaz Sharif’s interests. “India is trying to damage the credibility of the 25 July general elections,” he asserted.
Read more: Nawaz Sharif- traitor or trader?
Similarly, from the United States of America to across the Atlantic in the United Kingdom, all the leading newspapers have published stories against Army with the picture of Imran Khan. Imran warned the people of Pakistan that a big game is being played to hurt the credibility of elections.
Imran believes that the international establishment does not want Khan to be the next PM, because Nawaz has safeguarded the interest of these forces. Indian and Nawaz’s lobbyists sitting in Washington which were allegedly hired after the disqualification of Nawaz have apparently presented the case over Nawaz’s ousting. Nawaz slowly built a narrative at home, where he successfully told the public of his war against the establishment for civilian supremacy.
Khan passionately spoke to the audience as he once-again put forward the dream of Naya Pakistan and assured that more rooms are being constructed in Adiala Jail to house corrupt politicians.
After his arrest, Dawn’s efforts to engage world media over the issue has paid off. Although, Hameed Haroon was humiliated in his BBC hard talk interview, he managed to put up the case for house of Nawaz in Washington. Imran questioned Dawn’s compromised neutral stance. He knows that the public can play a decisive role. At one point he even enquired the public, ‘did ISI ask you to attend this rally’?
Khan assured the public that his collusion with ISI is an illusion and public must not be skeptical of the fabrication and propaganda hashed up against him by national and international media. The plan is simple. If Imran loses, discredit the election and make his victory dubious.
Read more: Nawaz, self-declared defender of democracy, remains absent from election process
After Nawaz’s arrest, they apparently hatched a conspiracy against Pakistan’s premier security institutes for electoral engineering and intervening in affairs of the civil government. Pakistan has allowed the independent election observers to come and visit Pakistan over the election period. The Commonwealth Observer Group and the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to Pakistan is keeping a close eye on the electoral process.
It is interacting with the relevant stakeholders including media, the Election Commission of Pakistan, security personnel, political parties, civil society, and others. Their report along with others will be crucial to reflect upon the electoral process. Ironically, in run-up to the elections, the former PML-N government had refused European grant of €15 million proposed for ECP and election monitoring bodies.
Imran warned the people of Pakistan that a big game is being played to hurt the credibility of elections. Imran believes that the international establishment does not want Khan to be the next PM, because Nawaz has safeguarded the interest of these forces.
Although, all the political parties cry foul over the fairness of the electoral process. But at the same time, it apparently did not take the necessary steps to allow the free and fair elections. The PML-N government did not want the improvement in the electoral policies because it would have removed the irregularities in operational capabilities of the ECP.
Read more: Why Spy chronicles’ won’t rescue Nawaz?
Considerable time of the nation was wasted in campaigns against the election rigging in post-2013 general elections. Media outlets and the public debated extensively on the issue. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) registered a long 126-day protest to force the government into adopting future measures which could improve transparency in elections. With no plan or major overhaul conducted, Pakistan goes into the next elections with a same old compromised system which is destined to result in more controversies in future.
Imran pointed that Indian never raised the questions over the rigging in 2013 only because they supported Nawaz as PM. Indian defense analyst confesses that Nawaz was their man in Pakistan.
Waqas Shabbir is a Derby Business School graduate in Finance, currently working as a freelance writer. The views expressed in this article are author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Global Village Space.