Since long I have been supporting former Prime Minister Imran Khan for his brave fight against the fascist forces in Pakistan, and his struggle for restoration of democracy by free and fair elections, even while incarcerated in jail since early August last year. I regard him as basically honest, as contrasted to the PDM leaders whom I regard as a gang of dacoits ( as the Panama Papers etc disclose )..
However, I believe that now he is making a serious mistake.
From the video talk of Moeed Pirzada, the eminent Pakistani journalist I gathered that Imran Khan is now allying himself with the Sunni Ittehad Council and other religious groups in Pakistan.
In fact the PTI, obviously under the instructions of Imran Khan, is now doing some dubious deals in order to come to power
One of the objectives of this move is to get the 60 parliamentary seats reserved for women and minorities
The PTI now seems to be desperate to come to power by hook or crook
I had criticised Imran Khan in 2018 when during the election campaign he had taken support of religious extremists and given PTI tickets to dubious ‘electables’. Though taking support of religious reactionary groups was wrong, one can understand that at that time the PTI was still relatively weak as compared to the PMLN and PPP, and so Imran Khan wanted a wider public support.
But now he does not need it. Today almost 90% of Pakistanis solidly support Imran Khan ( as all opinion polls indicate ), so he does not need the support of reactionary groups.
All, except a few diehards, admit that there was massive rigging in the recent parliamentary elections in Pakistan held on 8th February.
The people of Pakistan have refused to accept the fraudulent results of this sham election, and the question now is what should they do about it.
I have clearly said that the only way out is to demand fresh elections, under the supervision of the UN or some reputed international agency, with the army confined to their barracks.
Some people say that there is no need for a re-election, and a fresh count of Form 45 ( which gives the result of each polling station ) would show that PTI has won about 170 seats.
I do not agree. When the entire election process has been corrupted, polluted, bastardized, and tampered with from top to bottom, how can one be sure that Form 45 too has not been doctored and falsified?
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2457556/%7B%7B
https://indianexpress.com/article/pakistan/imran-khan-general-elections-pti-pakistan-assembly-9165452/
When there is mass cheating in an examination, the entire examination has to be canceled and a fresh one held. One cannot rest content by merely canceling the results of the candidates actually caught cheating because one cannot say who was cheating and who was not. The same thing has to be done for this fraudulent and sham election, which seems more like the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party in ‘Alice in Wonderland’, or the fictional Eatanswill election depicted by Dickens in his ‘Pickwick Papers’.
https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/p/the-pickwick-papers/summary-and-analysis/chapters-1314
http://www.historyhome.co.uk/readings/election.htm
Unless fresh elections are held, which are transparent, free and fair, terrible times are coming in Pakistan. There will be no stability, and some form of civil war is bound to arise.
Unfortunately, Imran Khan seems to have ruled out fresh elections and has opted for recount of the forms 45/47 only. He also seems to be seeking to create an alliance with dubious and reactionary extremist groups, like the Sunni Ittehad Council, which is a cardinal mistake because 90% of Pakistanis support him, and hence he does not need such shady, questionable alliances, which will be problematic for him in the future.
Instead, he should demand fresh elections under international supervision to ensure they are free and fair. Instead of pandering to religious reactionary elements, he should address the economic problems which are causing untold suffering to the Pakistani masses, and give assurances to minorities for safeguarding their interests.
