Politics

Rigging that the world refuses to see

As the country moves slowly and cautiously towards elections, fears are mounting of instability and bloodshed. These fears are compounded by the widespread belief that rigging of enormous proportion will take place during the elections. To top it all the country’s government and the world leaders are behaving as if you can hide these facts from wider attention and get away with it. The band of clowns called PEMRA (Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority) is already stifling the little breathing space we had by passing decrees upon decrees banning every possible media activity enabling it as a watchdog. Now we cannot report the progressive results (implying that the official media would have edge over us), we cannot air the interviews of the candidates (no, even soundbites are not allowed), we cannot telecast any complains or charges of rigging no matter how patent, and we cannot even cry out loud for agitation is banned.
Today’s PMLQ ad in the papers clearly though implicitly warns us that if its government is not formed the country will break. Is it just a coincidence that every single voter that I have met (and believe me I have met quite a lot) says that he/she will vote for People’s Party and every reporter I meet says that the army will make sure that the PML-Q candidates win the race. Three things just caught my attention. First, the statement from the western observers stating that they do not expect any substantial rigging to take place. Second, Musharraf’s statement that PMLQ and allies will win the elections (that his media manager is now denying but my sources claim was made nevertheless). Third the example of the constituency that I can see with my naked eyes: NA 150. In NA 150 the brother of the sitting District Nazim is contesting with the PMLQ ticket. Since apart from being brother of the nazim he is also quite affluent and vote buying is on its peak his contest seems a cakewalk. The extent of voter and candidate bribing, that every one admits exists, is such that for a while one is baffled.
It seems that the world wants to feed us to the dogs and hence it is crowding around us clapping and cheering as we go to the dogs.
Army’s involvement, particularly its intelligence agencies’, is not considered something that has ceased to exist. Sir if you cannot defend our rights please don’t call it our army. Or else please stop colonizing us if you cannot fight our enemies. AND I CAN ONLY THANK THE WORLD LEADERS FOR OUR WOES FOR NOBODY REALIZES HOW CLOSE TO DISINTEGRATION HAS THIS COUNTRY COME.

Original Post at Rigging that the world refuses to see by Farrukh Khan Pitafi’s Official Weblog

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