Express Tribune Editorials 28th Feb 2025

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Fear of democracy

The persistent delays in conducting local bodies elections in various provinces is a serious issue that continues to be exacerbated by both the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the provincial governments. The latest exchange of accusations over why polling keeps getting put off is a claim by the ECP that its responsibility begins and ends with conducting the elections, essentially absolving itself of any responsibility to ensure that elections are held within constitutionally mandated timeframes. But this is an oversimplification of the actual legal language governing the ECP's conduct, and more liberal interpretations hold that the electoral watchdog has the power to announce mandatory election dates based on the expiration of an assembly's tenure.

In fact, when provinces try to use legislation to delay elections, the ECP should be taking them to court to ensure that election schedules are maintained, rather than capitulating. However, it is also true that provincial governments often actively try to keep local governments from forming, mostly for bad reasons. This is because the work of government must continue no matter what, or society will grind to a halt. Thus, if local bodies' seats are vacant, their work will be kicked up to the provincial government, which means more decision-making authority - and more spending - for the provincial government.

It is also worth noting that the provinces were all for devolution as a means of democratising the system when they were the ones getting the money and power, but less so when it means transferring some of that money and power to even lower levels closer to actual voters. As for the ECP's argument that provinces keep introducing new laws to defer elections, there is precedent from the entire democratic world for election reform laws to take effect at such a time that any already-announced or scheduled election does not need to be rescheduled - a reform introduced a few weeks or months before an election would not become active until the next election cycle.


Healthcare on the brink

The state of public health in Pakistan has reached a crisis of alarming proportions, yet those in power appear either unwilling or incapable of addressing the matter with the urgency it demands. Across the nation, rising maternal and child mortality rates, the resurgence of preventable diseases, and an overburdened healthcare system paint a grim picture of neglect and mismanagement. The consequences of such failures are dire, threatening not only the well-being of millions but also the future prosperity of the country itself.


The return of polio — a disease all but eradicated in most of the civilised world — stands as a stark indictment of the nation's faltering public health policies. Likewise, tuberculosis and hepatitis continue their relentless spread, afflicting vast numbers due to poor disease surveillance and limited access to treatment. Such conditions are unthinkable in nations where preventive healthcare is a priority, yet in Pakistan, they are treated with an alarming degree of indifference.

Beyond infectious diseases, the burden of non-communicable ailments such as heart disease and cancer grows heavier by the day. This is not merely a question of funding, but of priorities. A nation cannot expect to flourish when its people are sick, nor can it sustain economic growth with a workforce plagued by disease.

If Pakistan is to avert a complete collapse of its healthcare system, immediate steps must be taken. The government must urgently increase public health spending to at least 5% of GDP, ensuring that essential medical services are available to all. A national health insurance programme must be introduced to protect low-income families from financial ruin due to medical emergencies.

Moreover, stronger regulatory oversight is required to prevent pharmaceutical companies from unchecked price hikes, making life-saving medicines affordable.The country must shift its focus from reactive treatment to preventive healthcare if it is to protect its citizens.


An amplified opposition

The opposition's umbrella alliance finally was able to flex its muscles, despite extreme coercion tactics by the government, as it galvanised the momentum for putting the country back on constitutional rule. It severely castigated the post-February 8 dispensation for usurping fundamental rights and cracking down on dissent.


The two-day conference of Tehreek Tahafuz Ayin Pakistan (TTAP) (Movement for Protection of Constitution) in Islamabad came as a morale booster for PTI which had been struggling to reclaim its electoral mandate and get its incarcerated leadership, including former PM Imran Khan, freed.

The opposition was able to bring together the who's who on a warpath with the order of the day, including Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Sunni Ittehad Council, BNP and MWM. It also made strides as it saw stalwarts like Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Miftah Ismail, as well as JUI-F's Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and Senator Kamran Murtaza in its midst. That led to an amplified and vociferous stance wherein the leaders from across the spectrum were seen restless with the system in vogue. They called for respect for the verdict of the masses, reminding the government that it had gone over the brink in suppressing constitutional supremacy by indulging in gross human rights violations.

That memorandum from the opposition coincides with lobbying that is underway in the United States for a democratic reset in Pakistan. A letter from two Congressmen, Joe Wilson and August Pfluger, to Secretary of State Marco Rubio to engage with Pakistan to ensure Imran Khan's release is a case in point. This pestering uncertainty does not bode well for Pakistan, especially as its economy is in the woods, and it is getting bad press abroad. All that the country is in need of is political stability and upholding of people's inviolable rights of political association and freedom of speech. It is all the more important as a Washington-based body, Freedom House, has once again downgraded Pakistan's standing in terms of political rights and civil liberties, ranking it among 'partly free' states.