#pakistanelections

Pakistani journalist Saba Imtiaz writes about the challenges of the Pakistani political parties as they head into the final stretch of election campaigning and rhetoric: 

Pakistan trudges, bloodied and wounded, to the finish line: May 11. And it is becoming increasingly clear that without the ability to hold large, grandiose rallies that capture the attention of the people and pundits, and where even neighborhood campaign offices are bombed, the three parties will remain on the sidelines of this election. It isn’t fair, the three are saying, claiming that that this is “not a law and order situation, but an ideological division”. In a country where the notions of change and revolution and promises of a newer, brighter Pakistan are repeated ad nauseam by candidates who’ve been in politics for as long as the youngest voter in the country, the only thing that has really changed is how violent the elections have become.