Recent terror attacks on rallies and meetings of 'liberal' and leftist parties, like the Pakistan Peoples' Party, the Muttahia Qaumi Movement and the Awami National Party, have restricted their election campaigns, while all right wing parties are holding public meetings more freely, without much fear.
It may divide political parties and the nation among two factions, pro-and anti-Taliban groups, in the run-up to the general elections scheduled for May 11.

As the three parties are trying to make the most of the situation and garner sympathy votes through TV ads and press statements against the Taliban and the parties which support them, their critics blame them for the current law and order situation in the country. They say the Taliban had threatened to disrupt the election process and they have not spared any party including the Pakistan Muslim League of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the right wing Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the Jamaat-i-Islami and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf of Imran Khan, which have a soft corner for the Taliban and oppose Pakistan's role in the US war on terror.

Though public rallies of the PPP, the MQM and the ANP have been more frequently attacked by militants, yet other parties have not been left alone. A remote-control bomb targeted PML-N Balochistan chief's convoy in Khuzdar district and at least four people were killed, including the son of the provincial chief of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Sanaullah Zehri. The blast also claimed the lives of his brother, nephew and guard. Zehri, however, remained unharmed. The blast was followed by heavy firing. More than two dozen people were injured including PML-N workers, relatives and Zehri's security staff.

A bomb blast also targeted an election office of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) near Peshawar's Panchgai road. The time device planted outside the PTI office did not cause any loss of life but it damaged the office and few adjacent shops.

A blast occurred near the convoy of a Jamaat-i-Islami candidate from NA-39 in Hangu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. JI candidate Raj Mohammad survived the attack. The militants also fired eight rockets at an election rally of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) in Harnai district of Balochistan. At least 10 JUI-F workers were injured in the incident. Haji Mohammad Hashim Shahwani, JUI-F's candidate for PB-30 constituency, escaped an assassination attempt when his convoy was attacked by a remote-control bomb in Mach district of Balochistan. Six people, including a Levies constable, were injured in the attack. The vehicles were also attacked by a hand-grenade which was followed by an exchange of fire. The incidents show that the militants have expanded their operation even against their sympathizers and supports.
The assertion by the PPP, the MQM and the ANP that national and international establishments are trying to bar moderate and liberal parties from the election process also seems to be far-fetched. It looks like an attempt to attract sympathy votes instead of admitting their failure to devise an effective counter-terrorism mechanism and strategy when they were in power. Terrorism was on the rise even before elections and former ministers, government officials and security experts had warned that terrorists would try to disrupt the poll process to create chaos in the country. Whether it was a lack of the political will or the negligence of the former government and the law enforcement agencies, the nation is facing the fallout.

In the Punjab, almost 70 candidates of banned religious organisations are contesting elections. It is largely peaceful as compared to the other three provinces, where terror attacks occur on a daily basis. It is not a coincidence that not a single terror incident has taken place so far in the Punjab. The PPP has not held a single rally in any province. It even cancelled a planned gathering to mark the death anniversary of its founding leader, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

In Peshawar, the Taliban sent letters to ANP workers and leaders to remove party flags and banners from their houses and offices or face consequences. Too much blood has been shed already, with at least 48 killed and over 200 injured since April 21. The MQM and the ANP have already lost several party workers in few weeks. The situation will eventually deepen resentment among other provinces against the Punjab and the situation would worsen after the polls. The new government will have to allay fears and mistrust of the other provinces against the Punjab to run its business smoothly. Following a meeting of the corps commanders, it has been decided by the military top brass that 50,000 troops will be posted throughout the country. In restive Balochistan, where nationalist forces have also been involved in violence, the deployment of 15,000 military and paramilitary forces has begun at the request of provincial authorities. It will be the biggest challenge for the law enforcement agencies to bridle terrorists in Balochistan because of its vast tracts and porous borders.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is attacking the liberal and moderate parties regularly, as it may be its agenda, but it was the responsibility of the parties which had been part of the former government, both in three provinces and in the Centre for five years, to make policies against the impending crisis. The terror attacks have created solidarity among the parties but it is of little use now. They should now encourage their voters to frustrate the evil designs of the militants by going to polling stations on election day. If the parties come to power again, they will have to make effective laws to curb terrorism for their own safety and security of the nation. On the other hand, the right-wing parties, which have a soft corner for the militants, should realise that the Taliban would not spare them as they are working on their own agenda. Their challenge to the state would not abate even if religious and right wing parties come to power as the Taliban only consider their own brand of Islam right and try to impose it on others through the use of force and violence.

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