Violent polls

Though the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided to issue notices to the leaders of political parties that indulged in violent practices during the recent by-polls in Karachi, this problem deserves some wider consideration. Attacks on polling stations have taken place in nearly all local and general elections in Pakistan since 1970, and even before. The police register cases and make some arrests, but in the next elections the violence resumes. Such violence invariably claims lives of activists and workers, and sometimes even voters and passers-by become a target. The problem is old but the extraordinary proportion of polarization in the country today has intensified the threat of violence in the coming elections – whether by-polls or general elections. There are multiple reasons for this polarization and unless the root causes are addressed the threat of violence will keep resurging. These causes emanate from social behaviours and a political culture that various parties have spawned in the past decades. There are at least three major players that should be working in tandem to control violence in elections: political parties, law enforcement agencies, and the ECP.

Political parties are most of all responsible for grooming their supporters and workers in democratic norms. That includes a high level of tolerance of other people’s views, a commitment to no-violence, non-interference in electoral procedures and listening to the advice and direction that the election authorities and law enforcers issue. But perhaps the most significant is the ability and willingness to accept defeat gracefully. Most parties feed their supporters with an overdose of self-righteousness and a high degree of overconfidence in their candidate’s certain win in elections. This fuels an already overcharged crowd of supporters to violence if their candidates end up losing the contest. Even before the results are announced some candidates sense their impending defeat and lacking in moral courage to accept their loss they incite their supporters to violence. We are seeing this already in the charged-up rallies being taken out by former prime minister Imran Khan, where anything that even remotely goes against the PTI’s policies or tenure in government is seen as tantamount to treason. All parties must take up this issue of violence seriously if they have any trust in democratic practices.

Law enforcement agencies have a lot to answer for if violence erupts. In many cases, the police just stand there and let miscreants have a field day. There should be a high-level meeting before the elections and a comprehensive plan must be chalked out to prevent violence on polling day. This can and should include CCTV facilities to capture violent behaviour and identify the culprits. The police should be well equipped and trained to handle such situations. Any negligence in performing their duties should be taken up immediately. There should be some central monitoring mechanism so that authorities take immediate action and deploy reinforcements if need be.

Finally, the ECP should make it clear to all political parties that there may be disqualification in store for those candidates who incite their supporters to violence. As the leading electoral body in the country, the ECP should have all authority and power under its command to prevent any eruption of violence on voting day. The future of democracy is perpetually uncertain in Pakistan and the country cannot afford any violence that harms the electoral exercise. All political parties, the LEAs, and the ECP have a collective responsibility to make elections a success with free and fair polling that is not marred by violence. We have multiple elections taking place at the local, provincial and national levels both this year and the next. Timely coordination between the three major stakeholders is perhaps the only antidote to violence in elections.