The official results of Pakistan’s election have shocked many.
Why? Senior candidates of the former ruling party PML-N struggled to keep their constituencies. Many lost.
For instance, the former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, lost the two constituencies he was contesting.
The former finance minister Miftah Ismail posted on Twitter that he was “looking for work”. He too was defeated.
Even Shahbaz Sharif, who is brother to the party’s founder, nearly lost out completely. He lost three of the four seats he contested.
But Why?
The party has alleged that there was a systematic attempt by security services to dethrone it.
It is alleged the intelligence services pressured as many as 30 candidates of the party to leave.
The EU observers to the election seem to believe this is true.
Many felt the former ruling party did not put in its best in the past few years.
So, what accounts for the fall of its giants, pressure by security forces or pppr performance in office?
That’s how it should be, let the people’s vote count.
Politics shouldn’t be a do or die affairs