No matter that Engr. Jawed Salim Qureshi, the nominee of The Engineers Pakistan (TEP) for chairman, and Engr. Raghib Abbas Shah, the candidate of NEA-PEG for senior vice chairman, contested the elections from their respective groups—considered to be bitter rivals in the PEC Elections 2024—the pain experienced by both stalwarts is the same. More interestingly, the man who caused them such pain is also no different. Had he not brought his powerful friend into action, the outcome might have been quite different.
More than three weeks after the elections, the wounds refuse to heal as the new chairman, provincial vice chairmen, and governing body members are about to take charge for the next three years. Both the winners and the losers are analyzing the factors that led to results that left many candidates in an uncertain state for days.
These elections, as expected, have now been recorded as the most complex and interesting ever and are now open to scrutiny for the most glaring outcomes of the contest.
The very first significant event on election day was the collapse of the NADRA system linked with the PEC polling. The system, which failed around 11 a.m., could not be restored until 3:30 p.m. As a result, a significant number of voters returned home, and it is unknown how many decided to return after the Election Committee extended the polling time to 9 p.m.
Although NADRA did not provide a clear reason for this lengthy glitch, the disruption cast doubt on the credibility of the elections. Due to its duration, engineers in charge considered postponing the elections for a week, but common wisdom and the nature of the elections made this impractical.
Ironically, no one in the council or NADRA has come forward with an explanation for the glitch, which not only affected the transparency of the elections but also created mistrust among the vast majority of engineers across Pakistan. Now the interior ministry has appointed a senior NADRA official to investigate the issue on Ahsan Iqbal’s request.
The fall of Engr. Jawed Salim Qureshi is significant for several reasons. First, his group, which he claims to be the largest party of engineers in Pakistan, faced a setback. Second, he is well-entrenched in Punjab, the largest province. Third, his group is believed to have strong ties with the ruling PML-N in the province. Additionally, this time, he and his group employed a different campaign strategy, similar to political parties, using multiple tools such as election songs and slogans to attract voters. His campaign succeeded in creating the perception of being a strong contender.
But the question remains: why did he lose despite these factors? “Engr. Qureshi failed to recognize the dwindling political support of PML-N in the province,” says a senior engineer based in Lahore. Others suggest that people have shifted their support to a different political class, which likely favored Engr. Qureshi’s main rival.
Another factor that played a role was the senior vice chairman candidate. Dr. Sarosh Lodi won the election with a slim margin of just over a hundred votes against Engr. Raghib Abbas Shah. Dr. Lodi’s campaign in Sindh yielded positive results for his group, and Engr. Qureshi also received a better number of votes in Sindh but still fell short of victory. Informed circles claim that Syed Murad’s support for Dr. Lodi made a significant difference this time, aided by his family member, Chief Secretary Syed Asif Ali Shah, who followed up more diligently than his predecessor during the last elections in 2021. However, this was not the only factor behind TEP’s gains in Sindh. “Engr. Mukhtiar Shaikh, a key figure in NEA in Sindh, did not put in his full effort this time, resulting in the defeat of Dr. Lodi’s rival, Engr. Raghib Abbas Shah,” a group of engineers from NEA and TEP believe.
Another notable event is the political support for UEP candidate for chairman, Engr. Ashfaq Hussain Shah. Engr. Shah initially used the PTI narrative without directly naming the party, but PTI Secretary General’s support later became public. Surprisingly, Omer Ayub’s support did not significantly benefit Dr. Shah. However, his candidate for the office of vice chairman Khyber Pakhtunkhwa emerged successful.
Transparency: Fact and Fiction
The NADRA system’s glitch provided many engineers with a reason to cover their failures. But the major question is: was it purely technical or manmade? PEC officials claim unequivocally that PEC had nothing to do with the glitch or the system’s collapse. PEC maintains its own server, used for providing various services to engineers across Pakistan, including maintaining Computerized National Identity Cards (CNIC) and registration numbers. For biometrics, PEC relies on NADRA services for confirmation.
In the case of elections, PEC provides NADRA with a complete voter data set, and NADRA is responsible for integrating it into its system and issuing ballot papers to eligible voters. There is no integration between the PEC server and the NADRA system for elections. Before election day, NADRA conducts a test run. Any issues, such as those encountered on August 18, are likely to arise from NADRA’s side only, says a senior PEC official, adding that it happens occasionally and in this case, he sees no deliberate effort to rig the elections.
Challenges Ahead
The new chairman faces several challenges, with the first being to ensure that the governing body operates cohesively. Members from TEP have already announced their intention to attend the session with black bands around their arms as a sign of protest. Engr. Waseem Nazir, the new chairman, has promised to introduce macro-level reforms within the first three months. Whether he can secure the confidence of the governing body members for these reforms remains to be seen.n