Now, does this make any sense? Is PML-N now willing to forgive and forget PML-Q’s role during Musharraf regime? So whatever happened to standing for justice and for your principles? Politics is a dirty game, but if PML-N forms and alliance with PML-Q then I’m afraid the ‘lotta’ tag associated with members of Muslim League will once again be proven correct.

Whatever the outcome of this Presidential election, I hope and pray that PPP led government complete its tenure. We have had way too many elected governments being over thrown without completing their terms, only to allow them to come back with ‘excuses’ like, “we were never allowed to complete our elected term.” We have to let our elected governments complete their terms (good or bad) so that people of Pakistan could judge them based on their performance over a 5 year period and then make up their mind accordingly if the party deserves another chance or not? In my opinion this is the only way to change the mind set of hard core supporters of some our major parties. These supporters should be given a chance to judge their favorite parties based on their actual performance and not rather on some ‘family’ name or ‘empty slogans.’

Even thoughl, we are all grateful to those who came to polling stations and casted their votes; and we must salute the old people, like in the pictures below who are dependent on others, who came to cast their votes and played an active role in deciding the future of Pakistan.

Above is the oldest women, I saw, who came for polling.

Captin: Old people who came to polling stations and casted their votes, even they were not physically strong.

The picture below shows the activities being done in the government office of the Union Council (UC) 133, Town Ship, Lahore. The office remained open on February 18, the day of elections, in spite of the fact that it was a government holiday.

Caption: The UC office remained opened on the government declared holiday, which is a violation itself.

The story goes like this that the nazim (mayor) of the UC-33, was supporting the PML (Q) candidate for the seat of Member National Assembly (MNA) in NA-127. The supporters of Abdul Aleem Khan, the Pakistan Muslim League PML (Q) (PML (Q): former ruling party) candidate for NA-127, were provided with the fresh breakfast of “Halwa Purri” and lunch of “Naan Channay” inside the UC office and even the election slips for the voters were being prepared in the office.

Caption: A stall placed inside the UC office to facilitate the supporters of PML (Q) with hot/fresh breakfast and lunch.

The mayor was supported by his brother, who is also a councilor in the area.

My question is tha how come the government officials use a government office as a central office of a political party for the purpose of election campaign?

Should not the Election Commission of Pakistan take any action, against those government officials, on the account of violation of it’s rules? or the lawlessness will continue…?

But unfortunately even rights are not safe from attacks as a large number of women in Peshawar were barred from voting at polling stations by the electoral candidates of the provincial constituencies of PF-6, PF-7 and PF-8. A female presiding officer at the Khazana Bala polling station showed reporters an agreement written in Urdu that said, “We, the candidates for PF-8, announce a ban on women’s participation in the February 18 balloting, given that women had been barred from voting in the previous elections as well.” Similarly, panchayats (local village councils) in Mianwali and Sargodha also banned women from voting.

Apart from that, Abdul Sattar Edhi, a social worker, upon reaching the Kharadar polling station in Karachi, came to know that he could not vote because his name was not registered. Shocked and disappointed he said, “I am a true Pakistani, but cannot exercise my right of voting.”

Similarly, deposed chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary and former superior judges Shakirullah Jan and Sardar Raza Khan, who are strictly under-house detention since November 3, weren’t allowed to cast their votes for the general elections aswell.

So what is a right? How do you define it?

Former ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Q) is loosing grip even on its strongholds of power as Pakistan Muslim League (N) and the late Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) continue their sweep drive in the provinces of Punjab and Sindh respectively.

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Early results and speculations are literally pointing towards a total victory for PML(N) in Lahore, both on National and Provincial Assemby seats.

More astonishing has been the defeat of stars of PML(Q) in their own home constituencies. PML(Q) Chairman, Ch. Shujaat Hussain lost in his native Gujrat while Rao Sikander Iqbal (former Defence Minister), Khurshid Mahmood Qasoori (former Foreign Minister), Sheikh Rashid Ahmed (former Information and later Railways Minister) and Farooq Leghari (former President of Pakistan and a prominent Q-league leader) all fell victim to the shattering voter power of the PML(N) and PPPP in their respective home towns of Okara, Kasur, Rawalpindi and Dera Ghazi Khan. On the other hand, former Chief Minister of Punjab and the key PML(Q) nominee for Prime Ministership, Ch. Pervaiz Ilahi was successful in winning both National and Provincial Assembly seats for himself.

Looking at the present state of PML(Q)‘s falling frontiers, we can surely understand all was not lie in the government’s claims of holding free and fair elections; another omen for strongly needed change and progress of democracy in Pakistan.