Never too late for genuine turn

Jan.3, 2008

Never too late for genuine turn


PAKISTAN's main political parties say they resent the postponement of general elections from Jan.8 to Feb.18, but that they would take part in the polls anyway. Their decision comes as a great relief since fears were high that the two major opposition parties would reject the move and wage continuous protests against the government over the delay.
Indeed, it is the first time in Pakistan’s history that an election had been postponed after the date had been announced.
The chief election commissioner announced the postponement saying that ir would not be possible to hold the vote as scheduled following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto last week. Nearly 50 people have been killed in the spree of violence that followed the Bhutto assassination.
Chief Election Commissioner Qazi Mohammed Farooq, who said the violent protests that had directly affected the organisation of the elections, has promised that the vote "in every respect will be clean and transparent."
There could be many arguments against the delay, including an assertion that the postponement is largely intended to deprive the two main opposition parties of a huge sympathy vote after Bhutto’s assassination.
On the other hand, the reasons cited by the authorities for the postponement seem to be fairly valid, including the destruction of polling stations, loss of election material and delays in printing election papers.
Understandably, the decision has disappointed Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which was hoping to capitalise on the sympathy flowing in the wake of its leader's assassination.
Well, all political parties have no option but to accept the decision and hope they would be able to perform their best in the process to secure the people's mandate.
In the broader context, the international community is anxious to see normalcy returned to Pakistan as soon as possible. The world has been watching in horror as militancy took a turn to the worse in the past few months, with suicide bombings becoming frequent. The fear is that militants could exploiting the situation in the country to grow stronger roots with a view to staging "spectacular" attacks in retaliation for the country's commitment to fighting extremism and support for the US-led "war against terror."
Pakistan  is facing a tough challenge: They have to defeat all forces of militancy and extremism, restore national stability and security and set the course towards democratic life with all that it entails. The election, delayed as it might be, is the first step towards that goal. The way ahead is not easy, but the objective could be realised if everyone concerned — the ordinary people, the government, the military, the judiciary and the intelligence community as well as the businesses that control the national economy — brush aside all differences and stand together to protect the genuine interests of the country. Time has already been wasted, but it is never too late.