Chairman IPS at CPG Roundtable – Pakistan’s pre-election landscape discussed

Chairman IPS Khalid Rahman was invited to share his insights in an online roundtable discussion titled ‘Decoding Pakistan’s Pre-Election Landscape’, held as part of ‘Asia in Review’ webinar series on elections in 2024, organized by the German-Southeast Asian Center of Excellence for Public Policy and Good Governance (CPG) on February 7, 2024.

Sharing his insights into the then upcoming 2024 general elections in Pakistan, Rahman highlighted three factors contributing to the perceived decrease in election campaigning: firstly, the prevailing uncertainty surrounding the scheduled election date; secondly, the focus on political and legal struggle between the main contending parties over the past two years, which could be seen as part of the campaigning itself, and thirdly, the significant role played by social media platforms, which escalated the ongoing narrative tussle between the leading parties to its peak. This influence of social media was unprecedented, he stressed, as in previous elections, such impactful use of social media platforms was either non-existent, or it was still in its early stages.

Regarding the credibility of the elections, Rahman observed that questions about the conduct of elections and allegations of rigging have historically been a commonplace in the country to some extent. However, in 2024, the buzz generated on social media has been pivotal in shaping perceptions about the elections, and this aspect should be taken into account when considering the overall pre-election campaigning scenario.