MOST supporters of PTI are either confused or frustrated. Many others are flabbergasted over the manner the state is treating them. And there is a reason for this.

For them, the “level playing field” terminology in the current political scenario has seemingly assumed proportion of a nightmare, since they are being denied any opportunity to do canvassing in the run-up to the Feb 8 elections.

The PTI leaders’ attempts to hold corner meetings or workers’ conventions are being translated into police raids, ransacking of party offices and leaders’ residences, and arrest of supporters.

The party leadership believes an election without giving equal opportunities to all parties will neither be accepted by most Pakistanis nor the world at large, and will serve as a pain in the neck for both the new government and the establishment.

Many of them claim that the role of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), as well as the superior judiciary, has been thwarted by the powers that be to protect the basic rights of political leaders and workers.

Though caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar and the ECP say the PTI will contest the elections, on-ground conditions do not justify their statements.

The PTI submitted several applications with respective deputy commissioners for holding workers’ conventions or corner meetings to prepare for the polls. But the civil administration’s response is allegedly impulsive, as the applicants face police raids on their offices and residences.

The Oct 22 raid on a convention organised by the party’s candidate from Lahore’s NA-123 constituency, the Oct 27 police raid on the PTI central Punjab’s offices in Lahore, and the Nov 10 raid on its offices in Gujranwala effectively denied the party an opportunity to launch its election campaign. The PTI leaders are still being picked up in various parts of the country.

While PTI Chairman Imran Khan and several party leaders and workers, including women, continue to remain in jail or in hiding, and others are parting ways after holding “press conferences”, the civil administration across Punjab seems out to “frighten” the PTI activists to the extent that no one can even carry the party flag.

With the announcement of the poll schedule, Imran Khan has conveyed that he would himself finalise party tickets and launch candidates from all constituencies. In its campaign on social media, the party is asking the general public to “take revenge with the power of their votes”.

‘Leaderships’ fault’

Many others believe it is also the fault of the main leadership. Before being ousted from power, the party had remained the darling of the establishment, and never spent time in grooming the mid-tier leadership and workers for such an eventuality.

Workers in many other parties have learnt the hard way to survive even in the worst of times. But for the PTI workers, this was a new reality. When the crackdown started in the wake of May 9 violence, they were apparently not prepared for that, and are now at a loss.

However, PTI leaders disagree with this and describe it as one of the worst actions against any political party.

PTI’s central deputy secretary information, Aamer Mughal, regrets that the country is actually facing the casualty of the Consti­tution as well as the law and justice system since several judgements allowing basic political and fundamental rights are being flouted.

“All political parties have been allowed to run their election campaigns, some of them with a partial level playing field, but PTI has literally been put out of the field,” he claimed.

He cautioned that any election without an active participation of PTI would face credibility issues and rather serve as a pain in the neck for the establishment and the “selected” government. “The country will continue to reel with anarchy, restlessness and economic instability,” he added.

Claiming that caretaker governments and the establishment have already “damaged” the party by registering cases, detaining leaders and manoeuvering defections, Mr Mughal urged the powers that be to free the PTI and let it go into election campaign.

He lamented that even the Supreme Court has rejected a writ petition by Aitzaz Ahsan over the enforced disappearances of political leaders on the plea that the senior lawyer should approach a relevant forum.

Incarcerated former Punjab health minister Dr Yasmin Rashid, who was brought to a court in Lahore on Saturday for the 30th time during the past six months, said the “establishment is trying to make us invisible, but I will contest election against Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz from jail”.

Seeking level playing field, PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan said, “PTI is the only political party that believes in the supremacy of the constitution and law of the land.”

Mr Khan and many others in the party believe the state is busy in pre-poll rigging to make sure PTI doesn’t win.

The government strongly denies it. But even if it’s true, what is not clear is the strategy the party is going to adopt to remain relevant at the time of the general elections.

Repeated attempts by Dawn to obtain official version with regards to the PTI’s allegations bore no fruit. While Punjab Information Minister Amir Mir opted not to respond to calls and a written message on WhatsApp, federal Information Minister Murtaza Solangi said the matter pertains to the provincial government.

When Dawn contacted Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Mian Shakeel Ahmad for comment, he said there were no instructions to the deputy commissioners with regard to denying permission to PTI to hold poll-related activities.

When contested that the PTI’s all election-related activities had been aborted by the law enforcement age­ncies in Gujranwala, the secretary said that the divisional commissioner there had stated that the party was trying to hold a workers’ convention without obtaining formal permission.

Published in Dawn, November 15th, 2023