While voices for snap polls are echoing with every passing moment, without pre-electoral reforms, the biggest democratic exercise in the country would be futile. Over the years, elections were marred with allegations of pre-poll, polling day and post-polling rigging claims and counterclaims by nearly all the contesting parties. The winning side would call the elections transparent while the losing side would term them a sham exercise. Besides, there have been regular grievances of not providing level playing fields to all the parties in the near past. For example, in 2013 PPP was forced to restrict its political campaigning owing to TTP’s continuous attacks on the party’s candidates, especially in KP. In 2018, PMLN cried over judicial activism and targeted accountability meant to prevent it from active campaigning. Today, PTI is emphasizing the same issue and is pleading for a level playing field.

This blame game should end now and to do that a grand dialogue between all the political parties and stakeholders is a must. Because, if not addressed, the issue will come back to haunt all, one after another. Given the nature of widespread political polarization, a dialogue seems a distant dream but going into the next elections without fixing this issue would be no more than another mock exercise and the losing side would shy away from respecting the winners’ mandate.

© The Nation