Political analysts in Pakistan are speculating whether the country’s democracy will suffer a setback if the general elections, scheduled for October, are postponed for a year. According to some, the establishment is pushing for the delay, which has received support from Maryam Nawaz and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) within the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).
However, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q), and BNP Mengal are opposing the proposal.
On May 15, 2023, the PDM is holding a sit-in in front of the Pakistan Supreme Court building, with the JUI-F being the most active participant. Other political parties in the PDM alliance are symbolically participating, and some, such as the BNP-M and ANP, have refused to join the sit-in. The PPP, MQM, PML-Q, and BAP, important ally parties in the government, are also not participating, indicating that the sit-in is a political show of JUI-F’s power.
Political analysts suggest that the establishment and the PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz are fielding Maulana Fazlur Rehman to counter the growing pressure from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for holding the general elections in the country. Salman Abid, a political analyst, believes that PML-N and JUI-F are using state machinery to target important leaders and workers of PTI and using Maulana Fazal Ur Rahman as an iron claw.
The postponement of the elections may lead to dangerous consequences if the disillusioned establishment and defeated political forces use JUI-F to counter PTI’s pressure. According to Professor Sheikh Yousaf Advocate, a former student leader in the Zia era, it seems as if the PML-N and JUI-F are seeing the electoral ground slipping from under their feet in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, respectively.
The tense environment between top military leadership and Imran Khan has increased, with the top brass issuing hard statements against PTI through ISPR. Some circles believe that the tense environment is due to the failure to decrease Imran Khan’s popularity, and now the establishment is exerting pressure on the current government to postpone the general elections. Several parties in the government coalition have opposed the proposal to delay the elections, including PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto and Co-Chairman Asif Zardari.
