Threat alarm

Caretaker government is seized with indispensable responsibility of ensuring tranquility at polls

The firing on JUI-F’s convoy is a highly worrisome proposition. The cowardly act in Dera Ismail Khan has come as electioneering is gathering momentum, amidst abject political instability. Luckily, Maulana Fazalur Rehman, the party chief, was not in the rally and there were no casualties. The fact that a security threat was already flagged for some of the leaders makes it more horrendous to see that the faceless enemy is in the cahoots, and is free to choose the timing for such dreaded activities. The district, just days ago, saw a similar ambush on security forces which goes on to confirm the vulnerability of the prevalent uneasy peace in the country.

This security scare is in need of being read in conjunction with the prevailing political confusion in the country in run-up to the general elections scheduled for February 8, 2024. The invisible enemy can make use of this political situation by targeting political adversaries, and thus plunge the country in a mayhem-like situation. This is what is feared widely, and puts the onus of security on each and every party to look around for unscrupulous elements. The least that is desired here is uniting all political parties in furthering a code of conduct for electoral serenity, and forcefully condemning terror.

The caretaker government is seized with the indispensable responsibility of ensuring tranquility at polls. While the armed forces have already presented themselves for a security cushion during the ballot process, foolproof measures and an ordained holding of general elections with a level-playing to all is a must. With backlash evident in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, the regrouping of non-state actors in the wake of renewed unrest in Afghanistan paints a dismal picture of law and order. The TTP and many of its affiliates are out to bleed the nation, and they cannot be taken at ease. The last several weeks and months have seen an upsurge in terrorism, and this factor must compel political stakeholders to mop their public gatherings.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd, 2024.

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