KARACHI: Despite the ongoing deweaponisation drive being carried out by law-enforcement agencies as part of targeted operations in different neighbourhoods for the past many weeks, the terrorism threat looms large over the city compelling secular political parties to keep electioneering a low-key affair in some towns even after all appeals against rejection or acceptance of nomination papers of candidates are decided by the election tribunals and revised lists of candidates released.

While the Awami National Party, Pakistan Peoples Party and Muttahida Qaumi Movement had also been named by a spokesman for the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan as legitimate targets for militant attacks during the elections, the leaders of these parties believed that the 2013 general elections would lay the foundations of democracy and the rule of law leading to a tolerant society and emphasised that the election must not be delayed for this reason.

Since the start of electoral process in Sindh, a PPP covering candidate for the provincial assembly seat PS-95 and some local leaders of the ANP have been killed in separate gun and bomb attacks in the city while a PS-47 candidate of the MQM, which in the past spoke strongly against the Taliban, was shot dead in Hyderabad.

According to local police and residents, TTP, Lashkar-i-Jhangvi and other banned militant groups wield influence in major parts of district west and east as well as in some pockets of other districts of Karachi.

“Terrorist acts and threats to sabotage elections will not make us change our stance against extremism,” said PPP information secretary Lateef Mughal.

However, he confirmed to Dawn that the party had given instructions to party candidates in sensitive areas to be watchful and avoid holding public gatherings in the wake of terror threats.

“The candidates have been advised to run a door-to-door election campaign and speak to the press to get their point of view across and also use social media,” he said.

The issue of religious extremism was not new as it had been sowed into society during the military regime of Gen Ziaul Haq and the PPP had been fighting it and would continue to fight it, he said, recalling the killing of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto, Punjab governor Salman Taseer, minister Shahbaz Bhatti and a number of party workers who he said were targeted by religious extremists.

While earlier this month the PPP had abandoned plans for a rally in its stronghold of Larkana on the occasion of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s death anniversary following what party leaders called ‘security threats’ from militants, the party spokesman said that there were some forces who wanted to get the election postponed but the election must not be delayed in the wake of terror threats. “If elections can be conducted in Iraq and Afghanistan, why can Pakistan not hold general elections,” he wondered.

However, he acknowledged that with the threat from extremists, the PPP and other secular parties would not get a level playing field as rightwing parties might have for holding rallies and accessing voters on the outskirts of the city believed to be under the influence of the TTP.

Meanwhile, the Sindh PPP executive committee in a meeting held on Sunday decided that the party leadership would address public meetings at district and divisional level.

Speaking about the threat, Sindh ANP general secretary Bashir Jan told Dawn that as many as 32 offices of his party had been closed in Karachi alone, most of them in district west, in recent months. “We have closed our offices in Sohrab Goth, Kunwari Colony, Ittehad Town and many other parts of the city after a couple of them came under armed attack, because we value the life of our people,” he said.

He said that the party leaders had been the target of militants in Karachi, Swat and other parts of the country for their stance against militancy.

“In the sensitive areas of the city, party candidates have been asked to run door-to-door campaigns where necessary instead of addressing big rallies,” said the ANP leader who has filed his nomination papers for the provincial seat PS-93 comprising areas of SITE and Orangi Town.

He added that the party candidates had also been advised to use social media, electronic media and other means for electioneering.

Over the past couple of weeks, an ANP local leader, who was also principal of a private school, was killed in an attack on the school situated in Baldia’s Ittehad Town and an Orangi Town leader of the party survived a bomb attack on his showroom.

MQM’s Wasay Jalil said that his party appreciated the ongoing targeted operations in different localities of the city by Rangers and police against criminals and it should also continue against those who challenged the writ of the state. He said that Altaf Hussain had raised his concern over extremists making strongholds in the city, but the government ignored the issue at that time. “Had it been addressed right then, the situation would have been different today,” he added.

“Yet it is never too late. The state is very powerful and the establishment must go after the extremists,” he said, demanding that the Election Commission of Pakistan, the caretaker prime minister and the chief minister ensure that the elections were held in a free and fair manner.

He said that the candidates would be advised to change their way of running the election campaign considering the security requirement of their respective areas.

Background interviews with security officials and the data collected by Dawn shows that the areas in the constituencies of NA-239, 240, 241, 242, 243, 248, 253, 255, 256 and 258 are most vulnerable to terrorist acts and violence. These include Shireen Jinnah Colony, Baldia, SITE, Orangi, Surjani, Lyari, Sohrab Goth, Pehlwan Goth, parts of Korangi Industrial Area, Shah Faisal Colony, Landhi and Darsano Goth in Gadap.