Citizens of Pakistan were left scratching their heads in bewilderment when the much-anticipated election day of May 14 in Punjab came and went without any actual elections taking place.
Twitter users immediately began making snarky remarks, criticizing the Supreme Court’s order to hold elections on May 14, even though there were no visible indicators of any electoral activities taking place on the ground.
In a humorous turn of events, social media users were eager to remind one another to share images of their thumbs on social media as if they had cast their votes. It would appear, though, that this time around, the thumb selfies will have to be put on hold.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) dissolved the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies earlier this year to pressure the federal government to call general elections. This was done to ensure that the PTI retained power in both provinces.
But despite the instructions of the Supreme Court and the countless conversations between the government and the PTI, no elections have been held in the province of Punjab.
The people of Pakistan are now left wondering whether or not there will be elections at all or whether this is simply another instance of political grandstanding and maneuvering. If and when the people of Punjab will be allowed to vote and select their representatives,, it can only be determined by time.
It would appear that the political parties are more interested in playing power games and engaging in negotiations than in carrying out their responsibility to the public.