Better Late Than Never
The announcement of general elections on February 8, 2024, by the Election Commission of Pakistan is indeed good news. Other than bringing much-needed political stability to the country, holding general polls will also help in battling the country’s formidable economic challenges. However, given the current pace of political antics and alleged manipulation, one might wonder about the transparency of the forthcoming elections, especially when the country’s leading political party is openly complaining about the lack of a level playing field and pre-poll rigging much before the holding of the elections, which is not a favourable sign for a democratic country like ours. No doubt, it’s better late than never. Still, nothing could be more important than free and fair elections, allowing the electorate to exercise its constitutional right to choose its future leadership.
Defeat, Demoralisation, and Whatnot!
As one might expect, Pakistan’s rollercoaster campaign in the ICC Men’s ODI Cricket World Cup 2023 ended on a highly disappointing note, almost a week before the competition was finally over with the rise of Australia as new one-day cricket champions, winning the title for the sixth time. Once again, the task of rebuilding Pakistan cricket has now been assigned to some new faces with no prima facie changes made in the governing body for cricket known as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which can frankly be referred to as the most politicised institution of the country.
Most interestingly, the current scenario almost remains the same when, after the shameful exit from the 2023 World Cup, even before the knockout stages, some new faces took on the mantle of revamping Pakistan’s crumbling cricket structure. However, the euphoria was soon over when some unfamiliar names came to the fore purely on political grounds with the same task, which seemed to be an unfinished agenda. For Pakistan cricket, the vicious cycle of defeat and demoralisation will never end.
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