Paying the price for democracy

The worst fears of political commentators and political parties taking part in Pakistan’s historic general elections are, unfortunately, coming true.
During the past one week, various cities in Pakistan have been rocked by bomb blasts and other sporadic incidents of violence related to electioneering. Karachi, Pakistan’s largest metropolitan city and economic hub, has been one of the worst affected as it has come under a series of attacks in the past five days.
The bomb blasts have mainly targeted Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) — the three “secular”political parties vying for seats in the national and provincial assemblies.
The Awami National Party, which represents the liberal Pashtuns, has strongly condemned these attacks and claims that the threats are hampering its election campaign in the country.
In an open letter, the Amnesty International has urged Pakistani authorities to investigate the incidents of political violence and devise a strategy to hold the elections in a free and fair manner. According to its figures, the surge in violence has claimed at least 37 lives and injured more than 180 people.
The threats have resulted in lackluster campaigning for the polls, with only few large-scale political rallies being held in Punjab. Meanwhile, the parties have also advised their members not to hold corner meetings and small gatherings in especially volatile areas of the country.
While the infamous Pakistani Taleban have not accepted responsibility for all of these attacks, the militant outfit had warned the ANP, MQM and PPP of political violence ahead of the elections. Revealing its stance against the MQM, the outlawed organization had vowed “not to show any mercy to the apostate tyrants of Karachi.”
The party has openly warned against any government moves to reach reconciliation with the Taleban and called for the Army for a final showdown against the group. It had also held protests after the assassination attempt on 15-year-old schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai by Tahreek-e-Taleban Pakistan (TTP) gunmen. ANP too has suffered the TTP wrath because of its liberal stance on several matters in Pashtun-dominated areas.
In an international pre-election assessment mission to Pakistan, former Prime Minister of Canada Joe Clark had expressed the fear that, “increased political violence threatens to prevent some political parties from openly campaigning in parts of the country.”The possibility of political violence ahead of the elections was seen as a tangible threat to derail the electoral process and its integrity. The mission had recommended the government to publicize security plans and train members of security forces in performing their roles and responsibilities in the electoral process.
The situation represents a rather dismal picture for the political parties and voters. The polls, scheduled for May, would for the first time mark an occasion when a civilian government has completed its first full term and handed over power to another democratically elected setup. However, pre-election violence is likely to scare away voters and also cast doubts on the legitimacy of polls as parties are being forced to reconsider their strategy of wooing the voters. Further, teachers in Balochistan have also categorically expressed their reservations in performing duties in the upcoming elections because of security concerns.
These government servants claim that they have received plausible threats via messages and pamphlets and would prefer to stay away from polling stations in wake of these threats.
The Election Commission of Pakistan and interim government need to step up their game and ensure that they conduct polls in a free and fair manner. This task can only be achieved by creating a greater sense of security among the voters and political parties contesting the polls.
There is an urgent need to beef up security across the country so that political activities gather steam and citizens of Pakistan are able to decide their future, without being under the clout of terror.