Former Pakistani ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani, tells Ramananda Sengupta why he thinks the July 25 polls will not be fair.
Given the involvement of the Deep State, do you think the elections in Pakistan will be truly free and fair?
No, I do not believe that the 2018 elections will be truly free and fair. Pakistan’s establishment has always sought to dictate the outcome of every election going back to 1970 and this time is no different. The result will only be further instability and political turmoil.
An Islamabad court recently asked the Army and the ISI to back off...does that mean the judiciary has not been co-opted by the establishment, as many reports say, following the cases against the Sharifs and the Zardaris?
The establishment in Pakistan includes the military and intelligence apparatus, the civil service and technocrats and the judiciary. Going back to Pakistan’s first military coup when General Ayub Khan took over, the judiciary has always sided with and supported the military’s decisions. And yet, the judiciary, like the military, seeks public approval and so, will periodically issue statements asking the military to back off.
How will the increasing number of terror outfits in the fray impact the elections?
Pakistan’s security establishment, right from the 1970 elections, has sought to prevent moderate civilian parties and politicians from winning a majority in the elections by supporting the rise of Islamist parties and coalitions. In earlier years, it used to be groups like the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal; today it is ‘mainstreaming’ terror outfits.
Imran Khan appears to be the establishment’s favourite...will he be able to mend fences with India?
Every civilian Pakistani Prime Minister, whether a creature of the establishment or not, has always gravitated towards improving ties with India. Three years ago, Imran Khan sought a meeting with and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. So, if Imran does succeed in his ambition, with the full backing of the Deep State, there is a high chance he too will do what all his predecessors have done. But the question remains whether the establishment will allow any civilian leader to mend fences with India.