From elections 2013 to elections 2018
Leaving at least 128 dead, the horrific Mastung suicide attack was the deadliest in Baluchistan’s history. This was the third attack in the country within a week on an election rally raising the tally of mortal casualties during the campaign to 152, including two of the candidates. The attacks have already taken life out of the campaign as many candidates are avoiding organizing corner meetings or public rallies. A feeling of insecurity has come to haunt parties facing the threat of terrorism. The ANP suspended political activities for three days after the killing of Haroon Bilour and then cancelled its rally in Swat. On Saturday Bilawal Bhutto called off the PPP’s public meeting in Malakand after the attack in Mastung. Bilawal also said that his party faced security threats. Furthermore that it was not being provided level playing field and that the results of an election during which normal functioning of the parties had been made difficult would remain controversial.
One is again likely to be told that some foreign agency was behind the gruesome incident with the aim to spread despondency among the people. No doubt enemy agencies sometime indulge in terrorist activities in Pakistan. Equally true is the fact that they succeed only when our agencies fail to carry out their duty to foil the enemies’ designs and therefore must be equally blamed.
The terrorist attacks send the message that despite claims of improvement in the security situation, the candidates and their voters remain as insecure during the on-going election campaign as they were in 2013. What is more the terrorists have once again been allowed to determine which parties are to contest and which ones are to be pushed out of the electoral race through terrorist attacks.
There is a perception that when institutions which are assigned the task of looking after the security affairs start managing electoral politics also they lose focus on their real assignment. This was the essence the debate in the Senate on Friday. To have peace in the country the agencies need to concentrate fully on destroying the terrorist remnants while leaving politics entirely to politicians.
