Pakistan: Ballot and Bomb
By Animesh Roul
Fear of widespread violence has gripped Pakistan ahead of Feb 18 general election which will decide the fate of the country and its people. The parliamentary elections, originally scheduled for Jan 8, were postponed after the high profile assassination of PPP leader and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in late December 2007.
Three key political players, for whom this election is crucial, are Pervez Musharraf, PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif.
The country is in the clutch of Islamic extremists who are now carrying out suicide attacks at will, targeting pro- democratic political parties, their convoy, and government centers. Even there is widespread troop deployment at sensitive locations (over 80,000 troops and nearly 400,000 policemen) for maintaining peace and order during the elections, there were two deadly bomb blasts on the final day (Feb 16) of the election campaign. These twin blasts left over 50 people dead and over 100 injured . There are 19,380 polling stations (out of total 64,175 PS) declared ‘sensitive’. The number of ‘most sensitive polling stations’ stands at 8,928 including 3,787 in Punjab, 1,575 in Sindh, 1,094 in the North West Frontier Province, 1,350 in Baluchistan and 1,122 in Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA). The government has deployed 130,000 police personnel in Punjab, 100,000 in Sindh, 50,000 in North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and 25,000 in Baluchistan.
High Risk Locations (identified by the government agencies):
- NWFP: Swat, Shangla, Lower Dir, Malakand Agency, Hangu and Tankand Bannu
- FATA: South Waziristan Agency, North Waziristan Agency, Mohmand Agency, Bajaur Agency, FR Kohat, Darra Adam Khel and Bannu
- Sindh: Kacha Area
- Baluchistan: Kohlu, Dera Bugti and Killa Abdullah
Major Suicide Attacks on Political Parties:
- Feb 09: Suicide attack on the Awami National Party (ANP) rally where 25 people were killed and over 30 injured at Nakai near Charsadda town in NWFP.
- Feb. 11: A suicide bomber blew himself amidst a public gathering at Mirali in North Waziristan. A senior ANP leader, Haji Anwar Shah was killed among 9 others.
- Feb. 16: Nearly 46 people have been killed in the tribal town of Parachinar, the main hub of the troubled Kurram Agency, bordering Afghanistan when a car bomber rammed his explosive laden car into the election office of an Independent candidate, backed by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
- Feb. 16: Three people were killed and over 15 others injured in powerful blast that rocked the Media Centre in the Mingora area(Swat).