January 14, 2008	Monday	Muharram 04, 1429

KARACHI, Jan 13: Dramatic political developments one after the other in 2007 have left the nation suffering from a lot of scepticism regarding the general elections. And presently, rumours are rife that the polls, scheduled for February 18, will be delayed further.

Dawn asked a cross-section of people in Karachi whether they thought the upcoming elections would indeed take place on time or if they might be postponed further.

Humayun, a 38-year-old driver, was quick and certain in his response. “There is a good chance that the elections will be delayed again because of the prevalent conditions in the country. Another politician could be gunned down or the terrorists could strike again in a big way. Every other day there are rumours about politicians being killed and it just might happen one of these days. It’s hard to overcome the uncertainty of the situation,” he said.

Baber, 22, a computer programmer, is adamant that the elections would be delayed further. “Something or the other will come up and some pretext will be found to not have elections. I have a feeling that they will be delayed and delayed again till people have forgotten about them or simply given up on them,” he maintained.

Ibad, a young lawyer, on the other hand is certain that the elections will take place on time. Explaining his view he said “Firstly, there is immense foreign pressure which cannot be ignored anymore. Secondly, the caretaker government is not capable of handling the law and order situation in the country and an elected government at the earliest is essential. Some people might argue that since President Musharraf has been running the country for the last eight years he can continue to do so. But the reality is that he cannot do it by himself and needs the support of people like Sheikh Rashid and the Chaudhry brothers.”

Wasim, a 35-year-old office secretary, also believes that the elections would not be delayed for pretty much the same reasons. “President Musharraf wants to show the world that he is leading the country to the path of democracy. For this reason it is in his interest to have the elections on time because that is what will bring him legitimacy,” he said.

Leena, a housewife, is quite optimistic in her views and thinks that there is no reason why the elections would be further delayed. “I trust they will be on time. Since they have been postponed once I don’t think it will happen again,” she said.

Taimur, a young doctor, also thought along similar lines and said “The people of Pakistan will not accept any further delay. And keeping in mind the circumstances, if the elections are not held as scheduled, the country will destabilise even further, which the country cannot afford at this point in time.”