By Daud Khattak
Allegations, confrontations, internal divisions, doubts, in addition to an intensely charged surroundings pick out marked Pakistan’s democratic procedure as nearly 106 ane chiliad m voters are stepping forrad to elect their country’s novel leadership. While the poll results, to endure followed past times the customary chaotic making in addition to breaking of political alliances, volition create upwards one's brain the side past times side cast of political leaders, doubts pick out already been cast past times almost all the leading players almost the transparency of the entire process.
One major argue for widespread uncertainty in addition to disbelief is said to endure a focused accountability drive inwards sum gear but targeting only ane political party in addition to its leadership patch sparing others. Other problems include a hyperactive judiciary, in addition to a gagged media forced to notice self-censorship.
The July 25 parliamentary elections, only the minute nether a civilian direction inwards Pakistan, are unique, but for all the incorrect reasons.
Terrorist Violence
Three leading candidates — 2 inwards the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in addition to a 3rd inwards Balochistan — pick out lost their lives inwards iii assort terrorist attacks inwards July alone. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 quaternary miraculously escaped 2 attempts on his life. Those killed include Haroon Bilour of the secular Awami National Party, Siraj Raisani of the Balochistan Awami Party, in addition to Ikramullah Gandapur of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Akram Khan Durrani of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam escaped 2 attempts on his life.
While election-related violence has previously rattled the province both inwards 2008 in addition to 2013, during those years the Pakistani Taliban were enjoying security havens inwards the tribal districts bordering Afghanistan. These renewed attacks from the Taliban, afterward their sanctuaries had been cleared, pick out been questioned inwards the media in addition to with the political circles.
Extremist Groups
Candidates with links to sectarianism in addition to jihadist groups are contesting the elections inwards many constituencies despite complaints from telephone commutation political parties in addition to legislators.
Prominent with those are the nearly 300 aspirants fielded past times U.S.-designated terrorist Hafiz Muhammad Saeed’s Milli Muslim League (MML). While the MML’s application for registration was turned downwardly past times the Election Commission of Islamic Republic of Pakistan (ECP), the group’s leadership forged a quick alliance with the niggling known Allah-o-Akbar Party (AAP) to hold their run-up to the polls.
Saeed’s Lashkar-e-Taiba turned Jamaat-ud-Dawa is alleged to pick out carried out terrorist attacks inwards the Indian metropolis of Bombay inwards Nov 2008, killing 166 people in addition to injuring many others.
Senior leaders of the sectarian Ahle Sunna Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) party, Muhammad Ahmad Ludhianvi in addition to Aurangzeb Farooqui, are contesting from dissimilar platforms. The ASWJ is an offshoot of the banned anti-Shia Lashkar-e-Jhangvi in addition to Sipah-e-Sahaba group.
Hardline cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi’s Tehrik Labbaik Islamic Republic of Pakistan is some other grouping contesting polls mainly inwards Punjab where it has a broad network of Barelvi followers.
Rizvi’s Labbaik movement, with the back upwards of like-minded groups, paralyzed life betwixt the cities of Islamabad in addition to Rawalpindi for iii weeks inwards Nov terminal twelvemonth afterward a modify of wording to an oath regarding Muhammad beingness the terminal prophet. The federal regime had speedily rectified the modification past times calling it a “clerical error.”
Speaking inwards the Senate on July 16, onetime Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani warned against the presence of Tehrik Labbaik candidates inwards the election contest. “What volition the atmosphere of the parliament hold off similar if fifty-fifty 25 of such people are elected?” he warned.
Security analyst in addition to Director of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) Muhammad Amri Rana told The Diplomat during a telephone interview that the presence of extremist in addition to jihadist groups may convey the mainstream political parties nether pressure.
Media Under Pressure
Almost all major Pakistani media outlets in addition to journalists say they are observing an unprecedented grade of self-censorship involving the courtroom cases against onetime Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in addition to his menage unit of measurement members in addition to criticism of the intelligence agencies, frequently referred to as “secret hands” or “people behind the scene.”
Two leading media houses, Geo television receiver in addition to Dawn group, are atop the listing facing problems from the so-called “secret hands.” In an interview with the BBC, Dawn Media Group CEO Hamid Haroon defendant Pakistan’s powerful armed forces of an “unprecedented assault” on press freedom.
Journalists in addition to columnists regularly complain almost their articles beingness trimmed or removed past times editors. Leading journalist in addition to Geo television receiver anchor Talat Hussain turned to Twitter to limited his frustration over the censoring of his alive coverage of Nawaz Sharif in addition to his immature adult woman Maryam’s arrival in addition to arrest inwards Lahore, uppercase of Punjab province.
On July 11, weeks earlier the elections, Pakistan’s National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), inwards a threat alert, warned 5 journalists of possible threats to their life from “foreign terrorists.” They included television receiver anchor Matti Ullah Jan, reporter Aizaz Syed, journalist Waheed Murad, journalist Omer Cheema, in addition to anchor Hamid Mir. Ironically, some of these journalists were already tipped as “anti-state” past times the armed forces spokesperson during a intelligence conference weeks earlier the novel alert.
Accountability
As the July 25 election drew closer, the judiciary, especially the accountability courts, sped upwards proceedings against leading members of the onetime ruling party.
While Nawaz Sharif in addition to his immature adult woman Maryam were sentenced to eleven in addition to 7 years inwards prison, respectively, a courtroom inwards the metropolis of Rawalpindi sentenced some other leader of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) political party in addition to a leading candidate, Hanif Abbasi, to life imprisonment on July 22 inwards a example involving misuse of a chemical ephedrine. Party leaders in addition to commentators say the example had been pending for the past times 7 years.
Nazarul Islam, some other PML-N candidate was arrested past times the accountability subdivision on charges of corruption in addition to misuse of authorization but a hateful solar daytime afterward he filed his nomination papers to competition the election against a onetime Sharif-ally-turned-foe, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. Islam has yet to endure proven guilty. His teenage immature adult woman in addition to boy are running his election campaign.
Controversy Around the Army
The bulk of Pakistanis run into the country’s powerful solid soil forces as the savior in addition to regard its soldiers in addition to officeholder cadres inwards high esteem despite the armed forces in addition to its intelligence agencies’ interference inwards civilian affairs.
Notwithstanding iii right away coups past times generals, the armed forces has retained its “hero” image. Its anti-Taliban operations inwards Swat in addition to parts of the tribal belt pick out farther enhanced its ikon with the mutual Pakistanis. However, this powerful establishment has been on the receiving destination of serious criticism inwards both local in addition to international media for its alleged siding with some political parties in addition to sidelining of others.
The latest allegations came from an Islamabad High Court gauge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui on July 21. Siddiqui defendant Pakistan’s prime number intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI, of dictating to judges in addition to manipulating courtroom decisions. Soon afterward Justice Siddiquii’s statement, a Islamic Republic of Pakistan Army spokesperson requested that the Supreme Court of Islamic Republic of Pakistan investigate the charges.
Well earlier Siddiqui’s spoken language at the Rawalpindi district bar, onetime Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in addition to his immature adult woman defendant the “Khalayee Makhlooq” or aliens for the courtroom of actions against them. By aliens, they refer to the country’s intelligence agencies.
Angry protesters were seen chanting slogans against “aliens” inwards Rawalpindi when a courtroom sentenced Haif Abbasi to life imprisonment. The protesters were accusing the Army in addition to intelligence agencies of manipulating the elections. The Army denied allegations of interference in addition to said they are facilitating the Election Commission of Islamic Republic of Pakistan (ECP) inwards belongings gratis in addition to fair elections.
The Jeep
In Pakistan, each political political party has an election symbol nether which their candidates are listed inwards the polls. Candidates non affiliated with a political political party are called “independents” in addition to each independent candidate is allotted a assort symbol ahead of the polls.
The symbol of a jeep has been the much-discussed topic ahead of the July 25 polls. The roots of the jeep floor become to Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, onetime interior government minister in addition to ane time a unopen aide of Nawaz Sharif. Khan parted ways with Sharif days ahead of the election in addition to opted to competition the elections as an “independent” candidate. He was assigned the symbol of a jeep past times the ECP. Within days, dozens of telephone commutation Sharif candidates defected from the PML-N to competition as independents in addition to all of them were allotted the symbol of a jeep.
Pakistan Army officers frequently piece of work jeeps during duty hours in addition to Chaudhry Nisar was seen as a pro-Army political leader inwards Sharif’s party. Nisar denies whatever behind the scene dealing with the Army but the jeep symbol doesn’t help.
Abusive Language
The ECP has issued notices to nearly one-half a dozen candidates for using abusive linguistic communication against their opponents during electioneering. They include PTI chairman Imran Khan, caput of the religious Jamiat Uelma-e-Islam political party Maulana Fazlur Rahman, onetime main government minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Pervez Khattak, in addition to onetime speaker of the lower occupation solid of parliament Ayaz Sadiq.
Taking cue from their leaders’ angry slogans in addition to abusive linguistic communication targeting their opponents, immature activists in addition to workers of the political parties hold the same tendency on the social media, especially Facebook, against their rivals.
This is the commencement fourth dimension social media is at the forefront inwards price of how voters access information, inwards contrast to conventional media, including newspapers in addition to television receiver channels, which are staying mute on many issues because of self-censorship.
Doubts in addition to Uncertainty
Despite assurances from the occur judiciary, the ECP, in addition to fifty-fifty past times the armed forces from fourth dimension to time, doubts had existed almost the belongings of elections on schedule. Now that the elections are beingness held as scheduled, in that place are widespread concerns almost the polls beingness gratis in addition to fair.
While the 2 occur political parties – the PML-N in addition to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) – pick out already expressed reservations almost the transparency of the polls, smaller parties in addition to the nationalists believe they are non getting the flat playing patch due to security threats.
The PML-N in addition to PPP believe the country’s security establishment is favoring the PTI, the political party of onetime cricket star Imran Khan, a accuse both the Army in addition to Khan vehemently deny.
Analysts, however, believe the post-election scenario is going to endure every bit chaotic fifty-fifty if Khan’s PTI achieves victory in addition to is ready to Pb the side past times side government.
Daud Khattak is Senior Editor for Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty’s Pashto linguistic communication Mashaal Radio. Before joining RFE/RL, Khattak worked for The News International in addition to London’s Lord's Day Times inwards Peshawar, Pakistan. He has likewise worked for Pajhwok Afghan News inwards Kabul. The views expressed hither are the author’s ain in addition to produce non stand upwards for those of RFE/RL.
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