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Pakistan faces a crucial test in polls on Saturday that militant Taliban jihadists, who seek a Muslim theocracy, have vowed to ruin. More than 100 people have been killed since April in violence against candidates and party supporters, according to media reports.
The May 11 elections will be the first peaceful change of power from one civilian government to another in Pakistan's history after decades of army rule that ended only five years ago. The military has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its 66-year history, either through coups or from behind the scenes. Whoever wins the election will be faced, immediately, not only with the challenge of Islamist terror but also with an economy crippled by a lack of power and a looming balance of payments crisis.
The May 11 elections will be the first peaceful change of power from one civilian government to another in Pakistan's history after decades of army rule that ended only five years ago. The military has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its 66-year history, either through coups or from behind the scenes. Whoever wins the election will be faced, immediately, not only with the challenge of Islamist terror but also with an economy crippled by a lack of power and a looming balance of payments crisis.
For a country that’s always been marred with political instability with governments lasting just for weeks this election sees the first ever transfer of power from an elected government to another in the country's chequered democratic history. Approximately 40 million young Pakistanis are expected to vote for the first time in the upcoming elections, out of a registered electorate of 90 million. A total of 4,670 candidates are standing for parliamentary elections while nearly 11,000 are running for the four provincial assemblies. Although it’s yet to be seen whether amidst all the Taliban threats and terror strikes voters turn out in large numbers or not as Pakistan is known for having extremely low voter turnouts. Given the terrible condition of the economy the country is in dire need of a stable govt and cannot afford to waste anymore of its resources over any kind of coups.
With the Taliban virtually taking over the north west part of the country to its homebred extremist turned militant organizations casting gloom over its law and order situation Pakistan’s vulnerability has been a huge deterrent towards its progress. Secular and liberal parties such as the Awami National Party (ANP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), meanwhile, have borne the brunt of Pakistan Taliban attacks in the run-up to the elections. Attacks by the Pakistani Taliban have been particularly virulent in the election campaign -- the first time Pakistan will experience a civilian-to-civilian transfer of power -- not only targeting secular and independent parties but even attacking a rally held by a right-wing religious party that's normally sympathetic to the militant movement. At least 18 people were killed in the blast on Monday at the rally organized by the Jamiat Ulema-E-Islam (JUI) party. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that one of the party's candidates had handed over members of the mujahedeen to the U.S. Till now Taliban violence has claimed more than 100 lives, forced key parties to abandon rallies and large gatherings.
The drama just beefed up in the run up to the polls as Former Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's son Ali Haider was kidnapped Thursday by unidentified gunmen and still stands untraceable. Ali Haider Gilani, a candidate for the Punjab provincial assembly, was seized in a hail of gunfire on the outskirts of the city of Multan in the province. According to unconfirmed media reports it could well be the work of Tehrik-e-Taliban, a banned terrorist group that had warned Pakistan it will target secular parties like the Pakistan People's Party and Awami National Party ahead of the May 11 general election.
Touted to be the frontrunner Sharif, a steel tycoon, is tipped to become the first politician to serve three terms as prime minister. He first held the post from 1990 to 1993, until he was sacked for corruption, and from 1997 until 1999, when he was deposed by a military coup led by then Military Gen Musharraf. Khan, who won only one seat in 2002 and boycotted polls in 2008, has led an electric campaign, galvanizing the middle class and young people in what he has called a “tsunami” of support that will propel him into office.
Khan, who is hospitalised after having fallen down from a forklift during campaign, could gain some sympathy votes. The suave cricketer turned politician has had a tough ride from his entry into politics being called a publicity to his political ideologies being branded as naïve. But this election could well prove to be a game changer for the Urban educated class’s poster boy who is said to be trailing closely behind Nawa Sharif. Khan has gained popular support from the urban educated class of Pakistan because of his policies that promise to establish a honest democracy. The PTI chief is a harsh critic of Pakistan's alliance with the US. Khan says if elected as prime minister, he would end anti-terrorism cooperation, stop American drone strikes on Pakistani territory and restore the country's financial sovereignty by reducing reliance on Western donors. Khan is also said to be a close aide of the ISI and military generals which experts claim could well turn out to be in his favour given the military dominance in the country.
Musharraf may have conducted a successive take over during the coup years but has failed miserably in attempting democratic electorate. The pakistan judiciary came on strongly against the former President and banned him for life against contesting elections. The former president who claimed that he had returned to his homeland after four years of self imposed exile to "save" it, has further been put under arrest. His military lineage could not save him either from the wrath he faced and is likely to face in the coming days.
Although he was dubbed to be the poster boy of Pak Politics after his mother’s demise Bilawal failed to create the leverage that Rahul Gandhi garnered for Indian politics. According to reports, Bilawal is said to have had major disagreements with his father and aunt, Zardari's sister Faryal Talpur, over the PPP's treatment on issues like militancy, sectarianism and ticket distribution ahead of elections. Eventually on March 27th Bilawal Bhutto star campaigner for the polls left for Dubai after his father told him that he would be handed over the party command only after he was groomed politically. Bilawal returned to Pakistan on April 2 but it was reported that he would not lead the party's campaign for the May 11 general election.
The PPP today is leaderless and has failed to even mount a nation-wide campaign. Its public messaging is muddled and directionless. Its political strategy has seen a retreat to its traditional stronghold in rural Sindh. This has unwittingly signaled that the party has all but given up in much of Punjab: the make-or-break province. The PPP's main opposition comes from the Pakistan Muslim League-N, led by one of the country's leading industrialists and richest men, Nawaz Sharif Viewed as a religious conservative, his party, Pakistan's second largest, believes it would have won elections in 2008 had the assassination of Bhutto not given a massive boost to the ruling PPP.
