Legitimacy of 2013 General Elections

Courtesy: Laaltain Magazine

Pakistan is faced with many problems today and there is no doubt that terrorism is the biggest one of them. The current government is working on its Internal Security Policy and has so far only drafted some laws which are indeed questionable and draconian in nature. This government has proved unable to take a solid stance against terrorism and is therefore failing on its mandate to truly represent the people of Pakistan. This failure is certainly also due to controversies associated with the last general elections which raise many questions about the legitimacy of the current government.

Shrinking Space for Women in Politics

Courtesy: ViewPoint Online

The political space of Pakistan has taken turns for the worst over the years. There is an ever increasing influence of Islamists who sell religion to gain power. Increase in their influence means that liberal and progressive elements are losing power, if they ever had any. Political scene is dominated by right wingers, be it mainstream parties like PML-N, PTI or religious parties such as JI and JUI-f. As a result the militancy has surged in Pakistan whereas plurality is taking a steep decline. One of the hallmarks of right wing dominated political systems is always a misogynistic attitude. Same is the case in current political setup of Pakistan where the space is shrinking for the women.