In August, Pakistan's President Arif Alvi dissolved Parliament on the advice of former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, paving the way for the general elections. Per the Pakistan Constitution, the general elections should be completed within 90 days of Parliament's dissolution. Consequently, the elections were expected to be held in October or November. However, the ECP said it needed more time to redraw the constituencies in light of the new census. Currently, caretaker Premier Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar oversees the government's routine affairs.

The National Assembly has 336 members, including 60 seats reserved for women and 10 for non-Muslims. Punjab has 173 seats, Sindh 75, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 55, Balochistan 20, and Federal Capital Region 3, totaling 336 seats.

In the 2018 Pakistan general elections, Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) secured 149 seats, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz Shariff) 82, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) 54, and Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal 15 seats. Other political parties that secured a notable presence in the National Assembly include the Grand Democratic Alliance (3), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (7), the Pakistan Muslim League - Q (5), and the Balochistan Awami Party (5).

Amid widespread anticipation that elections might be postponed indefinitely, the ECP announcement offers hope that elections will indeed be conducted. Yet, let’s keep our fingers crossed.

Another noteworthy development is former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's plans to return to the country in October and mobilize the party for the upcoming elections. Nawaz Sharif comes from Punjab, while PTI chairman Imran Khan is from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Traditionally, Punjabi leaders have been playing a domineering role in Pakistan politics. Pakistan has a significant ethnic and tribal population, and the national politics dominated by Punjab politicians doesn't sit well with the country's overall politics and economy. For example, the people of Balochistan have been protesting everything the government does, including the Chinese projects under the Belt and Road Initiatives. Similarly, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been the hotbed of Islamic militancy thanks to the step-motherly treatment it receives from the government. Imran Khan, the most recognizable face from this region, has been in jail for several months on petty and politically motivated allegations.

So, looking at Pakistan from the angle of mainstream politics is fraught with the perils of incorrect analysis and conclusions. Pakistan has come to the stage in its implosion that it needs to be seen for its suffering and beauty. For the world outside, Pakistan is viewed how some of the glamorous but hollow men and women politicians look while millions live bereft of basic necessities in a challenging civil and democratic environment.

Given this grim and complex reality, an election in Pakistan is both uncertain and inconsequential. If the Sharif clan or those who deserted Imran Khan occupy the seat of power, the ordinary people will not be any better-off. The country is facing challenges from all directions from a collapsing economy to heightened militancy, climate crisis, and breakdown in law and order.

When the country is at its weakest, it's the time when the vested powers gravitate to it. Pakistan is intractably in the clutches of Western and Asian powers. While the IMF wants the country to forgo pro-poor policies for it to release the next tranche of a billion-dollar loan, China is gradually claiming its land through costly and useless projects. Its utility to the Arab world has also reduced as the country looks destined to be the next Afghanistan rather than Bahrain or Qatar. Pakistan has completely lost its mozo.

The upcoming elections are more of an opportunity to reflect on the destiny of Pakistan than the elections themselves. No matter which party forms the next government, people can only expect empty words. They are not going to see any relief in their life while the country's reputation will be progressively in tatters.

Today, Pakistanis are shining brighter outside Pakistan. They are the reminders of how lofty ideals and tender dreams can go wrong. (IPA Service)