May 11 election should get declared null and void.

[Sa1eem]

Re: May 11 election should get declared null and void.

@teggy

Freedom is afforded to all citizens. I, as a citizen, should be able to protest anything if I believe it to be unfair. Doesn’t democracy guarantee me that? What you see Free does not abide it on others. I may reject others’ claims of rigging, but I will respect their right to raise their voice against it.

Where is there room to threaten the public for voicing their disapproval? That’s not democracy, that’s thuggery.

Protest can be against institutions like ECP as well. It’s not limited to political parties.

If Elections are to be considered null and void, all political parties that participated will need to request it, the provincial Governments will need to send recommendations to ECP, and prove the basis on which they consider these elections null and void. What are the chances of that happening? The matter can then also go to Supreme Court for interpretation of laws pertaining to Electoral Process.

It is best to swallow pride, and allow the system to cycle through. It can take a few rinse cycle to get out the undesired elements. Hopefully in the next elections, Pakistani voters will come out in even higher numbers, there would be in place more measures to ensure transparency so no rigging can take place.

It would be counter-productive to ask for a re-poll altogether because so many people traveled from abroad. It will be unfair to those voters if they are stabbed in the back because their circumstances may not allow them to travel to cast their votes again.

Unless of course ECP allows electronic voting for all overseas Pakistanis. How likely is THAT to take place?

i beg to differ. I do not agree that when there are reasons to believe that lot of dhandli happened in election, still election do not get declared null and void, just to keep the cycle going (as that would be allowing cycle of dhandli to continue, not election, democracy, or anything else to continue).

I also do not agree that parties can blame other parties, because no party is responsible of dhandli, even those who did dhandli, as they are trying to win election by hook or crook. It is duty of EC and law enforcement agencies to stop parties wrong practices. No party can complain about other party, rather they can only complain against those responsible to hold free and fair election (EC and law enforcement agencies).

Laws and constitution are made to make things fair for all citizens, but if some one under the protection of laws and constitution tries to exploit others, protect or defend their unfair practices or incompetency, then that is no excuse, as that in most cases starts protest in country against such laws and constitution. If Supreme Court judges give verdict that people should accept malpractices and corruption of politician or judges, than such verdict becomes meaningless.

When election happened, it was duty of EC to give free and fair election to all parties (not one or two parties). So, not all parties, but if any party can prove election to be not free nor fair in any constituency and claim that everywhere situation was same, then election should become null and void and should be held again.

To say that voters traveled long distance to vote and it is not right to ask them to vote again (or let the country deprived of their vote), then that is ridiculous argument. Voters problem cannot be an excuse to let a party rule 5 years that won election from dhandli (reward their dhandli) as there were no fool-proof system of election.

On the other hand, letting a party rule that came from result of dhandli is same as wasting votes of those who voted their opponent (these voters could have traveled from far away distance too … maybe same voter you mentioned, who traveled to Pakistan to vote, but his vote became meaningless due to dhandli, his vote got wasted too).

Cause of dhandli is not political parties and they cannot be blamed. Cause of dhandli is EC and law enforcement agencies, so they should accept their incompetency, make election null and void, and hold election free and fair.