“WE wuz robbed!” Grammatically incorrect, perhaps, but a forceful outburst nevertheless, uttered first in the 1930s by Joe Jacobs, the manager of the boxer Max Schmeling after his rigged defeat in a heavyweight boxing match.

It has been used ever since in a variety of situations — from sports to elections — when a clear defeat has been changed into a murky victory. On Feb 8-9, it was repeated across Pakistan in different dialects following the 2024 general elections. Its final results have yet to receive an unequivocal acceptance by the competing parties.

Their complaints — some registered, others to be registered, a few tossed in the lap of the judiciary — rise from the discrepancy between the ECP’s Form 45 and Form 47. These forms are more than a bureaucratic formality. They are the foundations upon which the credibility of the balloting stands.

Specifically, Form 45 — the ‘Result of Count’ form — is the first record of votes polled at a polling station. It contains, inter alia, ‘the total number of registered voters, total number of votes cast, and a breakdown of the votes earned by each candidate”.

This has been the costliest and most sterile election in our history.

After votes have been counted,........

© Dawn