General Election will be held in Pakistan on 8, February 2024. for many reasons these election will be another blot in the face already limping democracy of Pakistan. the first and foremost reason will be the participation of most vulnerable chunk of citizen in the power cycle which has always remained non-existent from the times of its independence, as all the elected members of the national and provincial assemblies will be from the powerful elite of the country who will be competing with each other to get the upper hand in power, influence and control of their respective constituencies.
Muslim League which was behind the establishment of Pakistan was also a syndicate of affluent and aristocrats only, and the participation of plebs in the party was equal to none. After the independence in 1947, the power in the country remain in the hand of undemocratic entities like security establishment and the so called democratic political parties which were by every definition more aristocratic than to be democratic
No direct General Election were held in Pakistan in first 23 years after its independence, although indirect election were held in some provinces but those election were very far away from what to be consider as democratic process. the first and only free and fair General Election in the history of Pakistan were held in 1970, but the irony is Awami Muslim League which emerge victorious (with 167 out of 300 seats ) was not allowed to form government by the security establishment and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto who won only 81 out of 300 seats. which resulted in the worst out come scenario for the Pakistan i.e. disintegration of the country . the election of 1977 was a managed in favor of Pakistan People Party, adding more misery to Pakistan democracy PPP was not allowed to form government and martial law was imposed.
After 1988 the dynamic of politics completely changed in Pakistan. instead of democracy the country become the royal throne for which the house of Bhutto and house of Sharif remain in constant ploy and security establishment remain the kingmakers who always shifts it approbation on one or the other house in every election depending on its own interests.so the limping democracy in Pakistan changed from bad to worst. after three alternative term for both the houses the kingmakers decide to bring a new player in the form of PTI the only non dynastic political party in the election of 2018 which very much offend their previous allies the Bhutto and Sharif houses who put constant pressure on the kingmaker and also the new king Imran Khan was more recusant then his predecessor due to which bond between the new king and the kingmakers deteriorated very rapidly. the hand of compassion was not only taken off from the shoulder of Imran Khan but the whole system has been put on the stake to keep him out of the race of the throne. the election on 8 February will be just the mockery of democratic process in this series of events.
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