Those who indulge in propaganda often find themselves become a victim to the messages dished out by them. Ultimately, experience tells, they start believing that the ‘untruths’ or ‘half-truths’ churned out by their propaganda machinery was the actual truth, based on real and hard facts.
The efficacy of this postulate has been proven time and again. Recently, the result of February 18 general elections has, once again, reinforced the accuracy of this hypothesis.
These elections took place amidst boasts of election victory by PML-Q leaders and their patrons, and allegations of massive rigging (pre-poll, during polls and post-polls) by the opposition. However, one must give full credit to President Gen (R) Pervez Musharraf for conducting elections in a free, fair and transparent manner, which could be termed as Pakistan’s first free and fair polls after 1971 general elections.
On the eve of elections, in an interview published by the Sunday Times (London: UK), President General (R) Pervez Musharraf predicted that Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) would “certainly have the majority” after the Monday’s vote and expressed the hope to act as a “father figure” to the new prime minister. PML-Q leaders have also been claiming to win the polls and form new governments, both at the centre and in the provinces.
Probably, PML-Q leaders had formed their opinion on the basis of their own propaganda. They had become such a firm believer in their “supposed election victory” that they found it hard to digest the results of pre-poll surveys, which were conducted by some international organisations and NGOs of repute. However, the poll results have shown that the pollsters had done a good job and quite accurately predicted the outcome of the elections. 
The outgoing PML-Q regime is believed to have spent billions of rupees to influence the outcome of the general elections and earlier the presidential elections. According to some circles, the previous administration spent seven billion rupees from the state resources on promotion and publicity of Present Gen (R) Pervez Musharraf and PML-Q government. The amount of Rs7 billion budgeted for this purpose, according to a PML-N leader, was sliced from the World Bank loans for education and health sector reform programs. He contended: “It is being spent on the image-building campaigns of individuals. Though later it will have to be paid by the people of Pakistan. The PPP staffers endorsed the statement, maintaining that the money was being diverted from education, health and even from earthquake relief funds. The hefty amounts spent by PML-Q on the image building of its leaders and the election campaign prompted a TV anchor to say on February 18, that a new city could have been built with that amount.
In a couple of developed countries, including the USA, it is against the law to gain political mileage in elections using state funds for publicity designed to influence the electorate. One hopes that the new government would look into the use of state funds for election publicity and through proper enactment stall the chances for use of state funds on publicity designed to the image-building of political leaders, their pet projects or the elections.
Further, the public is no longer that gullible. Despite all the hype and rhetoric, it has the wisdom to sift the grain from the chaff.
The very fact that PML-Q had supported a despot, whose actions or decisions, one after the other, during the previous year, did not enjoy popular support, led to the routing of PML-Q in the general elections.
Earlier, in one of his interviews, Gen (R) Musharraf had pledged to quit if the results in the elections were against him. In view of the massive mandate given by the people to anti-Musharraf political parties, one hopes that he would stick to his words and refrain from any manipulation because that could spell greater disaster.
On February 18, President Musharraf told the state run television: “Instead of crying foul, we should all show magnanimity” and accept the election results gracefully. Observing that in the wake of challenges, like extremism and terrorism, confronting the country, it was important that the nation stands united, exhibits reconciliation, instead of confrontation, he said: “Election is the voice of the nation and we all, including myself, should accept these results.”
One hopes that he would give a concrete shape to this statement and hand over power in a peaceful transition to the new elected representatives. Any resistance or manipulation now could be very disastrous, which every patriot would like to avoid.