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Since elections are approaching and everyone is busy debating which party would be the next to get power, voters all over Pakistan are divided and with all their passion are supporting their respective political parties. What do elections really mean? It means to vote with one’s own will to choose one’s leader to be in power, but are elections in Pakistan really that simple? Oh no, I am not talking about rigging, it’s about the ‘Baradri System’ which is very common in Pakistan.
Even educated people do not vote with their will, they vote where their family is supposed to vote. People do not understand how devastating it is for Pakistan. We Pakistanis prefer to be ‘Khandani’ instead of ‘Pakistani’. In rural areas families sit and decide whom to vote and despite everything, every member of the family have to vote for the party decided.
The political party is chosen mostly by looking at the cast of the candidate if your cast matches, you can vote if it doesn’t, sorry look for another candidate and if the candidate belongs from your family then what else do you need? Go vote for him/her. This might seems funny or lame but this is the reality at the ground.
If this is what men are doing, how would you think that the vote of women is based on her will, although women in Pakistan got their right to vote decades ago and till this date, women are not voting with their own will, they are just dummies and vote where they are asked to vote.
Is this the purpose of elections? Is this how you choose your leader who is going to represent Pakistan all around the world? This is what we do and then we complain that our leaders do nothing. It’s not their fault it’s our fault, WE elect them to be there for us but while voting, we do not consider candidates who are actually deserving. If this practice continues, Pakistan will never have free and fair elections. Free and fair elections can only take part when you vote out of your will and not be influenced by anyone. Most importantly, go out and vote because if you don’t vote, you have no right to criticize for the next five years.
