WASHINGTON: Mohsin Dawar, who heads the National Democratic Movement, has warned that militancy will spin out of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and engulf the entire Pakistan.

In a conversation with Pakistani journalists and scholars near Washington, the Pashtun member of the National Assembly also opposed banning former prime minister Imran Khan and his supporters from the next elections as doing so was “against democratic norms”.

The briefing was held hours before a deadly blast in a JUI convention in Bajaur but the participants in this discussion seemed aware of this looming threat as they noted that some militant groups, particularly those associated with ISIS, were now targeting religious figures.

“This will have very dangerous consequences,” said Mr Dawar while commenting on the discussion. “It will be difficult to control it if it’s not stopped now.”

He warned that the militancy “can even prevent people from participating in the upcoming elections” if not curbed. “This is a raging fire. It must be put out now or it will burn everyone, across Pakistan,” he warned.

Asked if the elections will be held on time, Mr Dawar said: “In a democracy, election is the only option. And it should be held on time.”

Although he acknowledged that the situation was “unpredictable”, the KP politician warned against trying other alternatives as “nothing else will work”.

Mr Dawar said his party was against giving additional powers to a caretaker set-up. “They should only have the powers to run day-to-day affairs, hold elections and go,” he said. “Anything else is against the Constitution.” He added that pro-democracy lawmakers were against including “workers and local leaders of various political parties” in the caretaker set-up. “This will make the entire exercise doubtful and would lead to rigging.”

He said his party was against preventing Mr Khan and other PTI leaders from the elections. “Such bans are against the spirit of democracy. If you have evidence against some individuals, charge those with the crimes they might have committed and let the courts decide.”

He urged the government to expose those involved in violence on May 9 and “let the people reject them”.

Earlier in the discussion, the participants suggested that the current situation in Pakistan had created new space for liberal and nationalist forces. “Anti-establishment sentiments are strong. The traitor card is no longer useful. People are eager to listen to and understand those who were rejected summarily in the past,” one of the participants remarked.

Mr Dawar, however, advised progressive and nationalist forces to “put forth their views, reach out to the people and underline your message,” disagreeing with the suggestion that they should take advantage of PTI’s absence from the political process.

“No one’s absence or presence should make any difference. We should spread our word and seek a mandate,” he said.

Some participants noted that former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and former minister Miftah Ismail were trying to set up a new party but said that they did not have enough time to impact the upcoming elections.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2023