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As the
Constitution of the country remains suspended, political activities
continue to face curbs while media remains under extreme restrictions
since November 03, 2007. The following major developments during the
period preceding this Election Monitor are significant in the context of
prospects for Free and Fair Election in Pakistan:
The National Assembly completed its 5-year term on November 15, 2007 and
it stood dissolved at midnight of November 15 and 16. The terms of the
Federal Cabinet and the Prime Minister also came to an end with the
Assembly. A Caretaker Government took oath on November 16, 2007 for the
duration of the election period. Senator Mohammedmian Soomro, Chairman of
the Senate, was appointed as the Caretaker Prime Minister. A 24-member
caretaker cabinet also took oath. The provision of a caretaker government
at the dissolution of the National Assembly upon completion of its term
was introduced in the Constitution by General Pervez Musharraf through
Legal Frame Work Order 2002. Before this amendment, the elected
governments were to continue even during the election period in case the
Assemblies completed their term or the Prime Minister (Chief Minister in
the case of Provincial Assemblies) advised the dissolution of the
assembly. Although the Constitution does not expressly state so, the
spirit of a caretaker government is that it should be neutral - otherwise
there is no point in inducting a new government. Opposition parties and
many political commentators had asked the President to consult the
opposition and appoint a caretaker government which enjoys confidence of
all major parties so that the Elections become more credible. The make-up
of the caretaker governments installed by General Musharraf, in his
discretion, at the centre and the four provinces, clearly indicates that
these are not neutral caretaker governments. The Caretaker Prime Minister
Mohammedmian Soomro is probably the least contentious person among the
elected officials of the government. He is widely respected for his
graceful personal conduct, but he remains a part of the ruling-PML-Q and
has a stake in the election results. Most of the members of the caretaker
cabinets are also partisan and have a clear interest in the victory of PML-Q
and its allies in the coming election. Senator Nisar Memon, for instance,
though personally a respected figure, is an Additional Secretary General
of the ruling PML-Q but has been made the Caretaker Minister for
Information. Provincial Caretaker Governments are also by and large not
neutral. It is difficult to understand why a caretaker government is even
required if it has to be exactly as partisan as the elected one which it
replaces. The induction of caretaker governments has certainly not
enhanced the credibility of the coming Elections. Almost all major
opposition parties have rejected the caretaker governments.
After a long delay and following the request of a number of Civil Society
Organizations and international donors, the Election Commission of
Pakistan finally convened a meeting of all political parties on November
19, 2007 to discuss the draft Election Code of Conduct. It is a sad
reflection on the state of confidence which the political parties have for
the Election Commission that most of the major political parties,
including the entire opposition as well as parties such as the MQM who are
part of the ruling coalition, did not attend the meeting. It also appears
that the Election Commission reluctantly convened the meeting and no
serious groundwork was undertaken prior to the meeting in terms of
allaying the apprehensions of the political parties. It is just the
beginning of the election season and this expression of lack of confidence
by such a large number of political parties in the very body which is
responsible for conducting the polls does not indicate very healthy
prospects for accepting the coming election to be free and fair.
The transmission of all private TV News Channels (including international
news channels such as BBC, CNN, etc.) was stopped by the Government
through cable operators on November 3, 2007 when General Musharraf
proclaimed “Emergency” in the country. The channels continued their
transmission but it could only be received by a few who had receiving dish
antennas or who could access internet. Some news channels were allowed to
go on air through cable networks last week after they agreed to stop some
of their most popular current affairs Talk Shows, but the Government
finally got Geo, the most popular private TV channel of Pakistan and ARY-One
World, who were forced to completely stop their transmission even from
Dubai. It is hard to imagine that Free and Fair elections can take place
in the face of such media restrictions.
Although state repression of political activists is not a new phenomenon
in Pakistan, the incidents of November 15, 2007 in Lahore mark a new low
in the sad political history of Pakistan. For the first time, male police
and “law enforcement agency” personnel were let loose on women protesters.
Never before women protesters were physically mishandled by men but that
day male policemen repeatedly slapped and clubbed women protesters and
then they lifted these women by embracing them in full public view before
they shoved them into police vans. The escalating violence and the new
levels of cruelty and insensitivity, coupled with this new dimension of
harassment, are expected to generate the resentment which can hardly be
conducive to holding free and fair election.
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