The formal position of four major political parties on their election budget was sought. Three questions were mailed to the central leadership of PPP, PML-N and MQM. The PML-Q leaders were interviewed by our reporter. Mr Farhatullah Baber promised a response on PPP’s behalf but it did not reach the paper till our going to press, Mr Sartaj Aziz gave out PML-N viewpoint and Mr Farooq Sattar mailed back MQM’s position. None of the central leaders of PML-Q were able to make themselves available, however, Mr. Tariq Azeem and Chaudhry Shahbaz Hussain, both former ministers, shared their views with Dawn on the issue. The questions, written replies and the interview are reproduced below:

PML-N

Q: How much approximately PPL-N as a party spend on the elections all costs inclusive?

A: The party’s expenditure on elections is ongoing, at national, provincial and district levels and includes many un-anticipated items. It will be possible to collate a final estimate only after the elections.

Q: In terms of percentage how much more you were needed to spend in 2008?

A: If the question means ‘more’ in relation to 2002, then the answer is considerably more because in 2002, PML-N had a very limited election campaign. Q: Is it true that MQM bear the cost of electioneering for its candidates, however, those fighting on PML-N ticket have to raise their funds privately and have to pay for their tickets to the party?

A: Each applicant for a PML-N ticket has to pay a fee of Rs20,000 for an NA ticket and Rs10,000 for a PA ticket. All PML-N candidates are expected to finance their own election campaign. But some publicity material like posters, cassettes and stickers may be provided to interested candidates.

PML-Q

The prolonged election campaign had forced the candidates of all the political parties to incur additional expenditures against the instructions of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), says a senior PML-Q leader.

“No candidate contesting for national assembly seat could adhere to Rs1.5 million restriction of the Election Commission when your election campaign had become so lengthy”, former State Minister for Information and Secretary Information, Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q), Mr Tariq Azeem told Dawn.

Similarly, he said that it was almost impossible for the candidate of the provincial assembly seat to spend only one million rupees as prescribed by the election commission.

Responding to a question, he said that expenditures have in fact “doubled” in 2008 elections due to delayed elections and the price hike situation across the country.

The situation, he said, had changed after the assassination of PPP leader Benazir Bhutto due to which the elections were postponed.

”You must take into account this fact that there had been a longest gap in the Pakistan’s history of not witnessing elections for well over five years. This was also one of the factors that forced people to spend rather lavishly in the elections”, he added.

He said that the candidates had to hire temporary election staff besides paying for billboards, banners etc., which also brought additional expenditure. “But the most important factor was the increased expenditure of political parties for running their campaign both on print and electric media and here you have to pay a lot of money”, the PML(Q) secretary information said.

He said that the advertising campaign had become the need of the political parties which culminated in unprecedented election expenditure.

Another PML leader and former federal minister for population and social welfare, Chaudhry Shahbaz Hussain when contacted also said that it was not possible to limit election expenditure by the candidates due to many reasons.

The major reason, he said, was the long election campaign that continued in two phases. He did not believe that it was only PML (Q) candidates who spent more compared to their rivals in the elections. “Nobody could escape from crossing over the limits of spending this time in the election”, Mr Hussain said.

However, he did not believe that inflation or price hike became one of the major reasons of the increase. He was of the view that since oil prices remained unchanged during the last 14 months, there was no abnormal price hike in the country. “Candidates use their vehicles very frequently during their campaign and this is how they have to spend more but static oil prices did not make much difference”, the former minister for population said.

MQM

Q: How much approximately MQM spent on the election all costs inclusive?

A: MQM is a representative party of the masses and cannot afford to run election campaigns in the prevailing corrupt system that is subscribed to with passion by all parties today. In direct challenge to the disgusting and dishonest practices to win at all cost MQM has dramatically brought down the cost incurred on a National Assembly seat to a historical low of half to one million rupees per candidate from the prevailing market-based cost of Rs20 million to Rs25 million. Similarly in case of PA we have set target budget of Rs3.5 lakh per candidate.

The cost is diligently and frugally kept under control and largely brought down due to largesse of donors, contributions from loyalist and members who besides the usual cash donations and membership fee also provide a lot in material aid such as; the respective traders may provide services instead of cash donations, e.g. adverting services, banners, panaflex, billboards, TV time, food, transport and fuel costs, etc. And of course tens of thousands volunteers with their unflinching commitment and time.

By and large it is selfless donations in kind that make the MQM election machinery run so smoothly and more than any cash donations. The majority of electronic media ads were monopolised by PPP, PML-N and PML-Q because of their huge cash coffers and unlimited budgets. Indeed if MQM had all that cash we would have had the largest political commercial spots on TV and by default should be buying votes in Punjab, NWFP, Sindh and Balochistan like rest of the parties. Thank God that we are not a part of that horrid rat race and are here to set precedents and good examples.

Q: In terms of percentage how much more you were needed to spend in 2008?

A: We need to keep into consideration the inflation and high cost of living that has affected all avenues of life including political campaigning. Keeping this vital fact into focus we rely more on material donations and less so on cash as well as we have been very austere and penny-wise in containing our expenses, good budgeting, planned spending and getting maximum mileage from every rupee spent. AlhamdoLillah it has worked remarkably well and our expenses have not skyrocketed as have been the situation in other parties and we also have managed to fight inflation. The general increase in costs was substantially balanced by our tight fisting of budgets drive.

Q: Is it true that MQM bears the cost of electioneering for its candidates?

A: Absolutely true. As I have mentioned before MQM is a party of the masses, good hardworking people who by and large cannot afford to run expensive campaigns but otherwise have ample political wisdom and passion to contribute and bring improvement to the society. An MQM candidate’s political campaign is party’s 101 per cent responsibility from A to Z inclusive of all costs. No wonder MQM MNAs, MPAs and Senators are not burdened or constrained by thoughts of recovering the costs incurred during elections as is very common in many political parties, especially so with candidates of feudal background.