Fakhru Baba and Forty Thieves
by
Faaiz Amir, Rawalpindi
There is widespread resentment and protest over hijacking of people’s mandate. In large part it is justified. Polling over two lac votes in some constituencies, casting more than 100% votes in a significant number of polling stations, obstructing polling process in some more constituencies and large scale illegal stamping of ballot papers indicate these elections were far from free and fair exercise, something which we all had yearned for. We have been denied the satisfaction and pleasure of being a proud nation that could boast of history making through its choices. The irony of the matter is that robber barons carried flags of all hues and shades. Some parties reaped richer harvest; others executed thieving on a few selected seats. Crimes were committed at individual and collective levels. Some teams were better organised in electoral process management, while others had yet to learn many tricks of the trade. Fakhru baba and forty chors had a field day. He rejoiced in his hallucinations of holding free, fair and transparent elections while the forty thieves went shouting all the way, “open Sesame, open Sesame, open Sesame”.
These robber barons had the misplaced confidence that crying hoarse over larcenies perpetrated by others would mask their own misdeeds. Only we were to be blamed because we have been lulled into taking all this and more taking lying down (pardon the pun). Even when we came out in 1977 we were being manipulated. When we protested we just did that. Revenge and not solutions was written large on banners and posters we carried. This time around it sounds and smells no different. Political leadership is creating distractions here and there for the people to lose focus and direction. Forty thieves wish to harvest their heist while Fakhru baba snapped in and out of his siesta.
Let’s put boiling oil in their jars slowly and gradually. Take them out one by one. Not physically eliminate them but get rid of these larcenists through means legal and fair. Allow all of them to sit in the Parliament and form the government. Let business of the State continue and let life move on in a normalized manner. But that is not where it ends.
Let them in. Let them enjoy the ambiance, the protocol and perks and privileges; with only one proviso. Election Commission should do organised and systematic thumb checking on all, save none, polled votes in each constituency. This could take say six months, say one year. We have spent billions on these elections, we could spend couple of hundreds of millions more. We have waited for years to vote we can wait six more months for genuine results.
Each ballot paper had two parts. One was the vote and the other the counterfoil that was retained in the ballot book. Every counterfoil should have on it the thumb impression of the voter who came to exercise his right to choose. So it is a long haul but so what, it is required. It is not impossible. NADRA can do it. Show the thumb. Angootha challao k baad Angootha dekhao.
Start from NA-1 and go all the way to NA-272. Purge the votes, honestly and dispassionately. All votes that do have the correct thumb imprint on it goes in the trashcan. Purge them ruthlessly, no favours asked none given. The nation demands it and deserves it. ECP owes it to the people. As and when purged counting on a seat is given announce the results and effect the change, if required.
Do it slowly but surely. Let the swords hang over their heads. Slowly and gradually, one by one, one after the other throw them out of the Assembly. Let the courts decide whether to send them to jail or give them a ‘get out of jail free ticket’. We will be rightly proud of the representatives who survived the test.
Fakhru baba, snap out please. You can do it. You would enjoy your nap after giving us the pleasure of taking pride in you. And promise we will not disturb you. We will stop making noise. Promise.
