Under the looming threat

The TTP was generally said to be anti-democratic, saying it is anti-Islamic. But the targeted killing of an MQM candidate gives away the nasty dimension to its thinking that it is also a 'party' to the electoral process now under way in Pakistan. On Thursday, the party's candidate from Hyderabad both for the National and Sindh legislatures, Fakhurul Islam, was waylaid by two armed men and killed. His was a targeted killing, as the people next to him including his father were spared.
Almost simultaneously, in Peshawar the ANP candidate for the National Assembly, Arbab Ayub Jan, survived remote-controlled bomb attack. And it did not take the Taliban spokesman, Ehsanullah Ehsan, much of time to claim that the killing of candidates of 'secular parties, PPP, ANP and MQM, is part of our war against them for they committed genocide of our tribal people and Muslims while remaining in power for five years'.
Early last week, the PPP abandoned its rally to launch its election campaign coincidental to ZA Bhutto's death anniversary. Interestingly, if not intriguingly, others in the field like JUI-F, JI and PTI had have held massive public meetings at places of their choosing - while the ANP meeting at Bannu was bombed. Such seems to be the rising clout of the TTP that in North Waziristan 'only candidates approved by the militants stand a chance of winning'.
A cynical view of the TTP's cherry picking of candidates and parties could be that its thought process has graduated from total rejection of democracy to be part of the electoral fray, which essentially means recognising the people's right of franchise. But that would be a dangerous concession given to the blood hounds - to be refused not only by the targeted parties but also by those presently not in the line of fire. The election must not only take place but it should be free, fair and impartial also to truly reflect the will of the people.
The question is what should be done to protect and secure the electoral process from being hijacked by the anti-state forces. As for the D-Day, that's May 11, 2013 when election will take place, adequate protective arrangements are being made by the armed forces. On Thursday also the top military leadership met at the GHQ and discussed deployment of troops to secure a peaceful election day in line with the request made by the Election Commission of Pakistan. But what to do between now and then so that candidates can reach the electorate free of intimidations and threats of the TTP and its affiliates - which are not in short supply anywhere in Pakistan. And it is a formidable challenge, given the proven potential of the anti-democratic outfits to disrupt peace. They threatened to strike at the candidates of PPP, ANP and MQM and seem to be doing it with impunity - mainly because our security agencies are too inadequate, both in terms of numbers, equipment and training and morale, to effectively cope with the mounting threats of sabotaging the rallies. At the same time all the stakeholders across the political divide and their particular worldviews have to be on the same page as regards the challenges posed by the anti-state forces. At the end of the day it would not matter much if your adversary lost because your campaign prospered courtesy the vicarious booster supplied by the TTP or its affiliates. It is in the common interest of all the parties going for the election to ensure that they resist being - direct or indirect - beneficiaries of the terrorists mindset to turn Pakistan into an anti-democracy fortress. What happened to the people in neighbouring Afghanistan when anti-democratic forces prevailed, that we all know first hand. At the same time the voter has to play his/her role as the most critical link in the chain of democracy, by reaching the candidates in the constituency through informal channels including interpersonal communication. While depending upon the peculiarities of the constituencies and mix of the vote banks the candidates would be required to calibrate their contacts with voters taking as little security risk as possible. These are not insignificant times, nor is less significant the election on May 11. At stake is the future of Pakistan as an independent, democratic and progressive country.