‘The profundity of a level playing field’

This is apropos a letter to the Editor “The profundity of a level playing field” carried by the newspaper yesterday. The writer, Abu Adnan, has presented a highly informed perspective on the political situation ahead of the Feb 8 general elections.

His assessment clearly shows that the phrase ‘a level playing field’ can have different meanings for different contestants, so to speak. In other words, both Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have been consistently asking the powers that be and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to ensure for them a level playing field in the general elections.

But neither has made a similar demand for a beleaguered Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as yet. Needless to say, both of them know full well that a level playing field or conditions in which every contestant has a fair and equal chance of succeeding for all the parties in the election fray, including PTI, is not something that they actually want; they want a level playing field for all except PTI. And there are some cogent reasons behind their strategies.

It is interesting to note that Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman and former President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari seems to have announced that his party will be forming the next government at the Centre by saying that his son Bilawal, the chairman of PPP, will “surely” form the next elected government.

According to Asif Ali Zardari, “the sun of February 8 will rise with the message of Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s victory.” Zardari’s growing optimism, in my view, emanates from a strong showing by his party in the local government elections in Karachi a day ago.

While Zardari is fully aware of the fact that his party has already consolidated its electoral prospects in Sindh because of two major factors — incumbency and near absence of strong opponents — he must have realised that it now has the best possible chance to restore its image in Punjab in a meaningful way.

Arguably, his ambitions cannot be termed “illegitimate” in view of the political instability that has woefully deepened with the arrival of caretakers in the country.

Moreover, he’s said to be too good at mathematics of electoral politics. Congratulations Zardari sahib for you seem to have been granted ‘a level playing field’.

Saleem Akhund (Karachi)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023