AFP, Islamabad :
Accusations of military interference, encroaching extremism and a series of deadly attacks have cast an alarming shadow over Pakistan’s hopes for a rare democratic transition of power in next week’s election.
Observers have slammed “blatant” attempts to manipulate the ballot, in which the brother of a recently jailed three-time prime minister will face off against a former World Cup-winning cricketer for leadership of the nuclear-armed nation – whose short history is peppered by coups and assassinations. A series of deadly attacks in mid-July has further darkened the mood, denting optimism over hard-won security for the country of 207 million. “Whatever its result, the July 25 election will only increase Pakistan’s instability,” said former Pakistani diplomat Husain Haqqani. “It will be an election without winners.” Nearly 106 million Pakistanis, including more than 19 million new voters, will choose a successor to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which took power in 2013 and hopes for a new mandate under leader Shahbaz Sharif. Its biggest challenger is the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by former national cricket captain Imran Khan, seen in the West as a celebrity playboy but who turns a devout face toward Pakistan. A third choice, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari – son of slain Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto – could become kingmakers, forming a coalition with the winner. The brief, acrimonious campaign has been overshadowed by a tug-of-war between two actors who cannot even hold office: former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, ousted over corruption and banned from politics, and the military. Sharif – older brother of Shahbaz – accuses the generals of targeting his party with tactics that include intimidating his candidates to switch allegiances, particularly in Punjab province. Punjab holds the key to power under Pakistan’s first-past-the-post system with a potential 141 out of 342 seats in the National Assembly, 272 of which are directly elected. The standoff between Sharif and the military peaked earlier this month, when he was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison for corruption. One week later, he returned to Pakistan from London, where his wife is receiving cancer treatment, and was promptly imprisoned. Analysts say the PML-N’s fate rests on his ability to frame himself as the victim of a military conspiracy.
Accusations of military interference, encroaching extremism and a series of deadly attacks have cast an alarming shadow over Pakistan’s hopes for a rare democratic transition of power in next week’s election.
Observers have slammed “blatant” attempts to manipulate the ballot, in which the brother of a recently jailed three-time prime minister will face off against a former World Cup-winning cricketer for leadership of the nuclear-armed nation – whose short history is peppered by coups and assassinations. A series of deadly attacks in mid-July has further darkened the mood, denting optimism over hard-won security for the country of 207 million. “Whatever its result, the July 25 election will only increase Pakistan’s instability,” said former Pakistani diplomat Husain Haqqani. “It will be an election without winners.” Nearly 106 million Pakistanis, including more than 19 million new voters, will choose a successor to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which took power in 2013 and hopes for a new mandate under leader Shahbaz Sharif. Its biggest challenger is the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by former national cricket captain Imran Khan, seen in the West as a celebrity playboy but who turns a devout face toward Pakistan. A third choice, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari – son of slain Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto – could become kingmakers, forming a coalition with the winner. The brief, acrimonious campaign has been overshadowed by a tug-of-war between two actors who cannot even hold office: former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, ousted over corruption and banned from politics, and the military. Sharif – older brother of Shahbaz – accuses the generals of targeting his party with tactics that include intimidating his candidates to switch allegiances, particularly in Punjab province. Punjab holds the key to power under Pakistan’s first-past-the-post system with a potential 141 out of 342 seats in the National Assembly, 272 of which are directly elected. The standoff between Sharif and the military peaked earlier this month, when he was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison for corruption. One week later, he returned to Pakistan from London, where his wife is receiving cancer treatment, and was promptly imprisoned. Analysts say the PML-N’s fate rests on his ability to frame himself as the victim of a military conspiracy.
