Pakistan: The slaughter of the lambs

EDITORIAL : Daily Times

Saying that the national and international establishment are keeping the moderate and liberal parties away from the elections purposefully sounds more like an attempt to shift the burden. Terrorism, as it has come to invade every part of our lives, and now the elections, was left to grow and fester in the absence of any concerted, integrated and responsive counter-terrorism strategy by the government. Had there been serious effort to control this menace, the elections, being the most important event of Pakistan’s history, would not have become an issue of life and death. Rehman Malik, the former interior minister of Pakistan, in spite of knowing that the elections would open a floodgate of terrorism could not do anything to prevent the development. Whether it was lack of political will or sheer negligence of the government, we are now reaping the results. Obviously the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) tactically is attacking the liberal and moderate parties. That sounds very much like the militants’ programme. It was the responsibility of the parties, now the target of the TTP, the PPP, the MQM and the ANP, who were part of the government both in the provinces and in the centre for five years, to build deterrent policies against the impending crisis. The emerging solidarity among the parties under attack now would do little except perhaps encourage their voters to frustrate the dirty game of the militants by going to the polls on election day. On the other hand the right-wing parties, having a free hand to campaign, should know that they too can be exposed to hard times. The TTP has its own agenda to follow. Their challenge to the state would not go away once the party they are going soft on is in power. In fact those they are now implicitly ‘helping’ to campaign in the elections fearlessly, would be under pressure to toe their line. For now the division between liberal/secular versus conservative reflects an ideological schism that could eventually tear Pakistan apart. Punjab, for the terrorists’ tactical reasons, since nearly 70 candidates of banned religious organisations are contesting from here, is left untouched. The rest of Pakistan has become a pool of blood. Two independent candidates have so far been killed. An election in Mirpurkhas has been postponed. PPP has done not a single large rally fearing a TTP backlash. MQM and ANP have already lost several party workers in a matter of one week. This will eventually deepen the resentment of other provinces that they always had for Punjab. Exclusivity somehow has always been Punjab’s prerogative. Now with militancy too favouring Punjab, division of hearts and minds between Punjab and other provinces could be easily imagined, especially in the post-election period. Now that the attacks by the TTP on only three parties in three provinces is already being seen as pre-poll rigging, the results of elections will also be considered skewed in favour of the centre-right parties. How will this affect the atmosphere of the post-election period is again disturbing. The new government will already enter office with lots of baggage. The TTP is a monster newly energised during the elections. Neither the PTI nor the PML-N has uttered a single word against the atrocity that is killing people like flies. Their silence is intolerable for many. It is not a free lunch that they believe they will savour forever. Eventually they might be slaughtered as well.