After five-year rule in the country, the life for three main political parties of the outgoing government—the Pakistan People’s Party ( PPP), the Awami National Party (ANP) and the MQM gets tough in the wake of growing threats of terrorism in the run-up to the next general election. The latest sting of eight blasts in Quetta and Karachi in last 24 hours, that left another 11 people dead and 60 injured, has heightened security fears ahead of the May 11 general elections. The MQM, feeling pushed against the wall, has shut down its election offices in Karachi, the ANP, after loosing Bashir Ahmed Bilour, is mostly staying in doors in the KPK and the major political party in the previous regime—the PPP has decided not to risk the life of its young chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in the election rallies rather has opted TTP—style-of-video-massage to reach out the masses. The then friendly opposition PML-N, having Metro Bus Project to its boost about, has limited the public appearances of its big bosses to avoid Ms Benazir Bhutto-like tragedy. Despite all powers and resources, then the coalition partners, failing to root out militancy during their five years of the rule in the country, are facing the trouble, fears and threats that the common man faced earlier. The PPP lost its dynamic leader Ms Benazir leader in a terrorist attack five years ago, yet it did not learn a lesson hence its inability against militants has rendered Pakistan a far less secure country than five years ago. Thus the isolation the political parties facing is the outcome of their own follies, mismanagement, and bad governance. The blame squarely lies on them. The situation can be summed up in old saying: As sow so shall you reap!

The caretakers or for that matter the Election Commission cannot remove hideouts of terrorists in their assigned period of time in the chair—an act that the previous rulers could not do in five years. The political parties must put up a brave face to wither a few isolated incidents of terrorism taking place here and there ensuring that the polls process does not derail. And the Election Commission, having faltered to some extent in the scrutiny of the nomination papers, must make amends in the process of the election from hereafter. It must put a mechanism in place to monitor the spending of the political parties on the election campaigns particularly their budget on expensive media campaign.

Ill-gotten money is being poured out under the garb of security concerns. Sectarian violence, religious intolerance, Taliban and Baloch insurgencies, indeed, have worsened today. Thus bullet-proof vehicles, barricaded party offices and bullet-proof glass on podiums are all that the political parties had to live with to accomplish the task of the election process. Any call for the pausing or postponing the elections is not withstanding—no matter from where it comes.

http://www.thefrontierpost.com/category/46/