Death and democracy

No democracy can survive the constant curse of violent death. Each killing weakens it, taking away candidates, activists and supporters and leaving behind lingering uncertainties. This is what we are seeing now. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan had already demonstrated its intention to carry out its threat to kill candidates of parties it identified as “secular”. Two ANP men and an MQM candidate were killed even before the most deadliest of the attacks that have come so far, with at least 18 killed and more than twice that number injured in a suicide bombing at an ANP rally in Peshawar. The target was Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, contesting the NA-1 seat. He escaped death, as did his nephew, Haroon Bilour — whom the Taliban later claimed they were actually targeting — also a candidate and the son of Bashir Bilour who was killed last year.

Elsewhere too, blood was spilled. Near Khuzdar in Balochistan, in his own home area of Zehri, a bomb targeted the convoy of PML-N provincial chief Sardar Sanaullah Zehri as he was on the campaign trail. He survived. His son, brother and nephew were not so fortunate. The culprits are unknown, the motive unclear.



But the fact is that the May 11 election is beginning to turn into a bloodbath. ANP chief Asfandyar Wali has spoken of conspiracies. His words need to be considered. But most of all, we need some kind of action to stop the massacre. The major parties all need to unite against the threat. A conference should be called to discuss what is to be done. At the very least, a joint statement is required. The real question though is what should be done. From the security point of view, the situation is a nightmarish one. But we cannot watch the killings unmoved. New deaths come every day, and in these circumstances, the entire electoral process comes under a shadow. Something must be done to stop the mayhem we are seeing and ensure matters are decided through the ballot, not bullets and bombs, which have already left behind fearful stains with more deaths feared given the Taliban threat, as well as other tensions, in the country as it moves towards polls.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 18^th, 2013.