#Pakistan - #PTI’s romance with extremism

Every now and then, this country’s leadership provides us with reason to conclude that the National Action Plan against terrorism is headed nowhere. This time, it was the Chief Minister of the province that has immensely suffered due to the menace of religious extremism. KP CM Pervez Khattak was in attendance at the latest rally of Difa-e-Pakistan Council — a group that includes among its leadership the who’s who of radical Islamism, some of whom are recognised the world over as terrorists.

Given their weak organisational structures and lack of organic links with the electorate, most mainstream parties have had to frequently woo the religious right-wing for their electoral campaigns. The most recent example of this trend was in Chakwal where religious idiom was frequently deployed by both PML-N and PTI candidates and religious parties were courted for support. However, the stunt pulled by Khattak by participating in the DPC rally stands out as most parties that form the alliance lack electoral standings. Only the Jamaat-e-Islami is represented in the legislature of the province, and its support is concentrated just in Dir. It is a travesty that the ruling party in the province — which has 61 MPAs — feels so vulnerable that it must get its credentials certified from a motley group of extremists whose political ideas and parties have been complicit in pushing this country down the path of terrorist violence and sectarian turmoil. And all the achievements Khattak highlighted during his speech at the rally were really just examples of how the NAP has failed in the last two years.

The next general election is a few months away. This is why the Election Commission needs to step up its efforts to monitor public rallies and speeches for use of religious idiom. To canvass for votes in the name of religion is a violation of the ECP code. And for whatever its worth, the NAP stands opposed to giving public space to terrorism masterminds for spewing hatred. As the constitutional body responsible for general elections, the ECP should ensure that campaigns for the upcoming election are strictly in accordance with its codes, the country’s laws and policy documents such as NAP, which was prepared with bipartisan support.

For its part, the PTI can certainly do better than presenting itself as a marketable option just to the extreme-right segments in the country. We hope that there still is some hope for the party and that some of its leaders will focus on real social and economic issues rather than pander to murderous extremists.