IT is the right decision for the right reasons and it must
be supported by all institutions of the state. The Milli Muslim League’s
attempts to register itself with the Election Commission as a bona fide
political party with the right to contest elections have correctly been
rebuffed by the interior ministry.
In its reply to a
petition in the Islamabad High Court by the MML, the interior ministry
has not only cited relevant local law, but also Pakistan’s international
commitments to deny that the MML can be registered with the ECP.
Whatever the MML may claim, it is patently clear that the aspiring
political party has deep and fundamental links to Lashkar-e-Taiba and
Jamaatud Dawa.
To allow the MML to participate in
electoral politics would be akin to allowing the LeT and JuD to
participate in electoral politics — an incomprehensible idea given the
sanctions against the two outfits and the legal watch lists on which
they are placed.
In theory, any group that renounces
violence, pledges adherence to the Constitution and accepts the
principles of democracy should be allowed to participate in the
electoral process.
The appearance of a fledgling
mainstreaming agenda for militant groups could also be interpreted
somewhat positively: the very idea of mainstreaming is built on the
notion that vast militant and extremist networks in the country need to
be deactivated and their cadres turned away from violence and extremist
ideas.
But in practice, a mainstreaming agenda will need
to be debated across institutions, implemented with great care and
continuously monitored to ensure that groups are not simply using
political cover to continue with banned activities.
Thus
far, no clear plan for mainstreaming has been mooted and parliament,
electoral institutions and the public are unaware of any contours of
one. Indeed, it has appeared at times that the MML is attempting to make
up its own rules and impose them on the democratic system rather than
the other way round.
As elections approach and the ECP
draws up its code of conduct, attention must also be given to the wider
question of the rules that all candidates and registered political
parties must follow.
The TLYRA and other groups may seek
to organise their politics on explicitly violent grounds; they should
not be allowed to do so. Episodes such as the Faizabad protest cannot be
repeated.
Eulogising terrorists executed by the state
and campaigning along lines that can be considered hate speech should
not be permitted.
The law and electoral codes already
bar many such possibilities, but enforcement will be the key. Pakistan
is approaching a third consecutive on-time election and a historic
transfer of power.
The focus should be on ensuring that
the voters have legitimate choices and that the election should be free
and fair as never before. Now is not the time for ill-thought-out
experiments and spoilers.
