This is regarding the letter “Pakistan’ polls must not be disrupted.” We need to thank him for his kind wishes regarding Pakistan’s general elections. However, this is not what’s going to happen. Pakistani Taleban have clearly warned the general public about what parties they shall not vote for or attend their rallies. They have threatened to attack rallies of liberal parties like Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP) and Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM).

The Taleban have put their weight behind right-wing religious political parties. In the recent past, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province has witnessed repeated attacks on ANP political rallies. One fear an exponential increase in such acts of violence against liberal parties as the election campaign picks up. At the same time, right-wing political parties are able to hold huge rallies in Peshawar, Swat, Lahore, Quetta and Karachi.

Pakistan’s commercial capital, Karachi, is already under siege by Taleban who have established their writ in the outskirts of the city.

Karachi’s mostly Pashtun-dominated localities are now controlled by armed Taleban who have expelled ANP’s political workers from their areas of influence. It was the shortsightedness of previous governments who ignored a massive influx of internally-displaced people (IDPs) from KP, Swat and FATA who brought with them Taleban militants.

Karachi’s political forces, MQM, ANP and PPP, are now threatened with the presence of Taleban not only in the outskirts but also in the heart of the city. — Masood Khan, Jubail