Pakistan: Electioneering nears end with tough contest expected between parties and independent candidates

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) – Electioneering is set to end Tuesday night in Pakistan, just 32 hours before general elections, with a tough contest expected between major political parties and independent candidates across constituencies.

The South Asian nation, which has the world's fifth largest population, is set to elect members to the lower house, also known as the National Assembly, as well as four provincial assemblies on Thursday, with more than 128.5 million people eligible to vote.

In the last polls held in the country in 2018, voters’ turnout was nearly 52%.

According to Election Commission of Pakistan statistics, 28,626 candidates from about 150 registered political parties are vying for 266 National Assembly and 749 provincial assembly seats across the country.

This year's electioneering is different from previous years, with fewer public rallies, as the majority of political parties used digital platforms to reach voters, with the majority parties highlighting their past achievements while in government and slandering opponents for destroying the economy, which has been grappling with multiple challenges.

The major parties that organized public gatherings are the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), led by three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and the center-left Pakistan People's Party (PPP), particularly in their strongholds of northeastern Punjab and southern Sindh province, respectively.

Other regional and religious political parties have also held public rallies in various regions, in a last-ditch effort to woo voters.

The Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam of Maulana Fazl-ur-Rahman Muttehida Quami Movement, Awami National Party, Balochistan National Party, and several other political parties are also competing for seats in the national and provincial assemblies.

However, these political parties face a major challenge this time from independent candidates, particularly from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), whose founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan is in jail after being sentenced to nearly 30 years in separate cases, as well as his wife Bushra Bibi in one.

All of these verdicts were announced just days before the general election, and Khan was barred from holding any public office by the courts.

The PTI's emblem, the bat or cricket bat, was not permitted by the country's top court due to the electoral authority's complaint against Khan for failing to conduct an intra-party election.

Without a party emblem, PTI candidates were awarded different election symbols, forcing the PTI-independent candidate to devise a new electoral strategy.

With PTI-affiliated candidates also questioning the impartiality of the interim setup in Islamabad, blaming state institutions for impeding their election campaign, they used digital platforms that gained traction among voters.

The PTI used artificial intelligence (AI) in one of its digital rallies, showing Khan addressing party supporters with his voice.

Following the apparent success of the rally, the party used other social media platforms to campaign, as did its rival parties, with the PML-N and PPP leading the way.

However, streets are also adorned with party flags, banners, posters, and life-size portraits of the candidates, as political parties hold rallies and corner meetings to solicit voter support, besides using different digital platforms.

Amid security concerns, the government has also issued an advisory asking people in southwestern Balochistan and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces to avoid large public gatherings.

With the main contest expected to be between the three major political parties - the PML-N, PPP, and independent candidates backed by the PTI - unofficial results will begin to be announced immediately after polling closes, with big surprises expected this time around.