By IANS
Islamabad : An influential Pakistani newspaper Thursday appealed for calm ahead of the general elections, now rescheduled to Feb 18, warning that “indiscretions” by politicians could enable anti-democratic elements to get an upper hand.
“Let our leaders note that their indiscretions could complicate the situation and things could get out of control, thus giving anti-democratic elements an opportunity to cancel the election,” Dawn noted in an editorial headlined “A plea for sanity”.
Another newspaper said that all major stakeholders should participate in the polls as without them the elections would be a “major disaster”.
“Any elections without participation or major stakeholders and without universal acceptability would be a major disaster,” The News maintained in an editorial titled “Delayed elections”.
Chief Election Commissioner Qazi Muhammad Farooq said Wednesday that large-scale rioting in the wake of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s assassination Dec 27 had upset poll preparations and made it impossible to hold the elections on Jan 8 as previously scheduled.
“With the election postponed to Feb 18, one disturbing aspect of the grim political scene needs to be highlighted. Must the atmosphere be vitiated by loose talk (about the manner in which Bhutto was killed)?” Dawn noted.
Holding that for Pakistan, “there is one aim that overrides all other considerations – a free and fair general election in a peaceful atmosphere”, the newspaper regretted that “the politicians – all of them, it seems – do not share the nation’s preference for peace, stability and transparent elections.
“They appear to be oblivious of the dangers inherent in a prolongation of the state of uncertainty and political animosities. By reckless talk, mud-slinging and appeals to raw emotions with ethnic overtones, the politicians are doing no service to Pakistan at a time when the whole world is watching us to see whether we as a people have the wisdom and courage to get out of the crisis.
“While it will take time before the truth about the conspiracy behind the assassination is established, the beginning is not very encouraging,” Dawn maintained.
“All sides” must also “realise” that the investigation into Bhutto death “cannot be done in a hurry”, it added.
“Given the kind of personality Benazir Bhutto was, the enemies – hidden and open – she had, the ruthlessness of the Taliban-Al Qaeda mindset, the support they enjoy from their hidden sympathisers in the government, as conclusively proved by the suicide attacks within high-security areas and on President Pervez Musharraf himself, and the web of intrigues characteristic of Pakistani politics, all sides must have the common sense to let the investigators do their job with professionalism uninfluenced by political pressures.
“Instead, most party leaders seem to be playing to the gallery and have made no attempt to lower the level of rhetoric and cool off passions all around,” Dawn said.
According to The News, “a genuine government of national consensus is a primary prerequisite to put the country back on the democratic path and short of such a major step, Pakistan can only slide further into anarchy in the coming tumultuous days and weeks.
“Any elections without participation or major stakeholders and without universal acceptability would be a major disaster.”