And only the politicians can put an end to it
So far election the related violence had emanated from two quarters only. The first was the TTP which has conducted attacks on the PPP, the ANP and the MQM campaigns, offices and candidates as it did not want the secular parties to take part in polls. The militant network has already succeeded in forcing the three parties to abandon public rallies and speeches. The second source of violence happened to be the Baloch separatist organizations which are targeting candidates belonging to mainstream and Baloch nationalist parties. The attacks from the two sides continued on Monday as well. The political parties which are trained to conduct peaceful canvassing only are unable to ward off attacks of the sort. What is more they lack the means and the capacity to bring an end to violence on their own. Only intelligence agencies and law enforcement bodies can counter the terrorists.
While the campaigners reel under the blows of the militants, violence has been initiated from a third quarter also. Three PTI workers were killed reportedly in an election related dispute by their PML-N rivals. This is highly disturbing as it could lead to reprisals in case the leadership of the two parties fails to realize the gravity of the situation. If prompt action is not taken by the quarters concerned, attacks on political opponents could spread to other parties and areas as well. There is already a perception that some of the constituencies in all the four provinces are highly sensitive.
Politicians are in a position to bring down the level of confrontations if not altogether put an end to it. One can understand that tempers run high when contest between parties or individual candidates becomes tense. What is however alarming is the persistence of intolerance in our political culture. This expresses itself in different ways. During the last spell of by-elections there was display of arms and at places recourse to aerial firing. A prompt action by the EC however had a salutary effect which shows that if laws are firmly applied, people begin to respect them. The Election Commission has also formulated a code of conduct in consultation with political parties which one expects it to implement firmly. There is however a lot that the political leaders alone can do or, conversely, refrain from doing. Political parties will not be able to persuade their workers to remain peaceful if their top leaders continue to indulge in aggressive rhetoric. Anyone watching the TV coverage of the campaign is bound to be struck by the highly offensive tone and gesturing of the speakers. Unless those at the top are able to project a soft image of their parties, there is little likelihood of their supporters abiding by the code of conduct.