Electoral Malpractices During the 2008 Elections in Pakistan

There is hardly any study on Pakistan's elections which could claim to have covered all elections and explored the highly critical issue of malpractices. The very little and piecemeal academic work that has been done so far lacks focus as well as theoretical framework. This study is designed to remove that lacuna. It has provided a detailed account of electoral malpractices with a major focus on the 2008 election. Theoretically rich and empirically sound, it seeks to expose regime after regime and their duplicity in the matter of electoral frauds. It reveals not only manipulations and manipulators, but also the dominant causes and sophisticated techniques of malpractices. It raises unusual questions followed by unusual answers. It delves deep into the highly complex nature of electoral frauds, so crucial in the make-or-break nature of governments and consequently to the future of democracy in Pakistan.

In this pioneering study of the 2008 elections, which proved General Musharraf's Waterloo, the author has sought to give its readers a gainful insight into the complexities, fixities and novelties of electoral politics and frauds. The book is expected to serve as a corrective to pitfalls, both old and new, in Pakistan's political system; more specifically it is aimed to create awareness among the electorates about the power of their vote, so vital to sensitizing the political elites to popular concerns. It would be a source of ready reference for the Election Commission to revamp itself, revise election rules and codes and thereby evolve a foolproof system of free and fair elections which would in turn ensure political stability and improved governance in the country. In this present world of democracy, no country needs more genuine elections on roads to a truly representative government than does Pakistan. Therefore, if this book induces sequels and serves the cause of democracy, no matter how humbly, it would have met its prime objective.

Iffat Humayun has done her Master's and M.Phil from National Institute of Pakistan Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. Currently, she is working as Research Associate in International Islamic University, Islamabad, and researching elections from a global perspective.