batmannow
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À bloody campaign Pre-poll violence
From the Newspaper | 16 hours ago 0
DAWN.COM | Latest News, Breaking News, Pakistan News, World News, Business News, Science and Technology News , Entertainment News, Sports News, Cricket News
WHAT has probably been the bloodiest election campaign in Pakistans history came to a violent close on Thursday with the kidnapping of Ali Haider Gilani, a candidate for the Punjab Assembly in Multan. While his father, former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, has accused political rivals of the kidnapping, most of the poll-related violence over the past month has been perpetrated and claimed by militants consisting of both the Taliban and the Baloch insurgents, who have done their utmost to disrupt the democratic transition. Most estimates suggest that since April 11, there have been over 100 deaths due to election-related violence, while hundreds have been injured. In various parts of Pakistan candidates have been assassinated or have narrowly escaped death while parties election offices have been bombed.
Hence there is merit in the presidents complaint to the Election Commission of Pakistan, as detailed in a letter, that security for the PPP, the ANP and the MQM the three parties directly threatened and targeted by the Taliban for their secular credentials has been inadequate and that these parties had been denied a level playing field during the campaign. We must underscore once more our disappointment with the reaction of parties left largely unscathed by militant violence, such as the PML-N and PTI as well as the religious right. They have either denied that the local Taliban are responsible for the attacks or simply made half-hearted appeals to the militants to stop the mayhem. The result has been a colourless campaign especially in areas most affected by militant violence such as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Karachi. Leading figures of the threatened parties have been unable to hit the campaign trail due to security fears while even the parties second-tier leadership kept a low profile. Nevertheless, they still deserve credit for marching on and refusing to call for a postponement of polls.
Looking ahead, the TTP has made disturbing claims that it has dispatched suicide bombers throughout the country to carry out attacks on election day. While security arrangements were largely unsatisfactory during the pre-poll period, both the army and civilian law enforcement machinery must be extra vigilant to ensure that the people can cast their vote in a largely violence-free atmosphere on Saturday. Based on intelligence agencies assessment of the threat level, the army has deployed some 70,000 troops to maintain security during the elections. Tomorrows polls will be historic and the militants must not be allowed to sabotage the democratic process.
From the Newspaper | 16 hours ago 0
DAWN.COM | Latest News, Breaking News, Pakistan News, World News, Business News, Science and Technology News , Entertainment News, Sports News, Cricket News
WHAT has probably been the bloodiest election campaign in Pakistans history came to a violent close on Thursday with the kidnapping of Ali Haider Gilani, a candidate for the Punjab Assembly in Multan. While his father, former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, has accused political rivals of the kidnapping, most of the poll-related violence over the past month has been perpetrated and claimed by militants consisting of both the Taliban and the Baloch insurgents, who have done their utmost to disrupt the democratic transition. Most estimates suggest that since April 11, there have been over 100 deaths due to election-related violence, while hundreds have been injured. In various parts of Pakistan candidates have been assassinated or have narrowly escaped death while parties election offices have been bombed.
Hence there is merit in the presidents complaint to the Election Commission of Pakistan, as detailed in a letter, that security for the PPP, the ANP and the MQM the three parties directly threatened and targeted by the Taliban for their secular credentials has been inadequate and that these parties had been denied a level playing field during the campaign. We must underscore once more our disappointment with the reaction of parties left largely unscathed by militant violence, such as the PML-N and PTI as well as the religious right. They have either denied that the local Taliban are responsible for the attacks or simply made half-hearted appeals to the militants to stop the mayhem. The result has been a colourless campaign especially in areas most affected by militant violence such as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Karachi. Leading figures of the threatened parties have been unable to hit the campaign trail due to security fears while even the parties second-tier leadership kept a low profile. Nevertheless, they still deserve credit for marching on and refusing to call for a postponement of polls.
Looking ahead, the TTP has made disturbing claims that it has dispatched suicide bombers throughout the country to carry out attacks on election day. While security arrangements were largely unsatisfactory during the pre-poll period, both the army and civilian law enforcement machinery must be extra vigilant to ensure that the people can cast their vote in a largely violence-free atmosphere on Saturday. Based on intelligence agencies assessment of the threat level, the army has deployed some 70,000 troops to maintain security during the elections. Tomorrows polls will be historic and the militants must not be allowed to sabotage the democratic process.
