Election 2024

As Pakistan heads into possibly one of its most contentious elections yet – and that’s saying a lot in a country that has hardly seen a seamless electoral process – it is also reeling from violence. This too has become somewhat of a staple in our elections. The year 2013 had seen the bloodiest election in our history but 2008 and 2018 were not without their share of violent attacks. Now, in 2024, a day before elections, parts of Balochistan echoed with the sounds of explosions. Two back-to-back blasts in the area once again exposed the loopholes in the country’s security infrastructure. The first attack, which killed 12 people, took place at the office of independent election candidate Asfandyar Khan Kakar in Pishin district near the border with Afghanistan. The second explosion in Qilla Saifullah detonated near an office of the JUI-F and left at least 10 people dead. Apart from that, JUI-F senior leader Hafiz Hamdullah also came under gun attack on Wednesday after unidentified assailants opened fire on his car in Chaman. Although he escaped unhurt, this uptick in violence just a day before elections cannot possibly be taken lightly.

The ECP for its part has already categorized almost 51 per cent of the polling stations as “sensitive”; and around 3,108 polling stations have been declared “highly sensitive” in Karachi. Over the past week, fights between the PPP and the MQM also took a violent turn, leading to the death of one MQM worker in one incident and a bystander (a child) in another. Such episodes of violence act as a deterrence, pushing people away from voting. But it is Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan that have seen much of the violence in recent days and weeks, and where electioneering itself was marred due to an eerie sense of threat looming over these regions. What do we need at the moment? The answer should be simple enough in any democratic country. We need an election untainted by violence, interference, and controversy. Unfortunately, for Pakistan, this is a rather tall order. Already, there is talk of post-poll contestation, a report by the International Crisis Group (ICG) predicting that the country is looking at disputed polls. The international community does seem to be concerned at the growing violence that has marked the end of the electioneering leading to today. The UN high commissioner for human rights had recently condemned violence against political parties and candidates and urged Pakistan’s authorities to “uphold the fundamental freedoms necessary for an inclusive and meaningful democratic process”. Pakistan’s Foreign Office has responded by saying the country has finalised security plans per its electoral laws and is "fully committed to fostering an inclusive democratic process".

This election is already marred by an inexcusable delay, controversies regarding Project Dismantle PTI, and a general listlessness on the part of the remaining parties even in the runup to the general election. Regardless of who comes to power after today’s electoral exercise, it would be worth their while for all political players to look back at the past few years in particular and try and learn the very glaring lessons on display, the main one being: democracy ceases to be when it is interfered with. Call it any name – hybrid, hybrid 2.0 – but what emerges is a twisted system that is inherently anti-people. It may be a tough ask but all the Pakistani voter wants is to live a life free of crippling inflation, terrifying violence, and consistent uncertainty. Will Election 2024 change that? The first step towards that would be a polling day free of violence and terror – and unhelpful interventions.