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Pakistan is set to go to polls in less than two weeks amid hope and apprehension about the outcome that will determine the future political course of the troubled nation. After a lacklustre start the election campaign has finally picked up with all major political parties battling out at the hustings. But the concerns about its fairness have tainted the entire electoral process. This is not a very reassuring prospect for democratic transition in the country.

After much delay, the polls will be held on February 8 with more than 125 million voters going to elect their representatives. The forthcoming elections after a long period of political instability have assumed much greater importance for the country that has alternated between long periods of military rule and unstable elected civilian dispensations.

While there is a hope that a strong elected civilian government will be able to bring much needed political stability, there are also looming fears that a controversial mandate could push the country deeper into chaos derailing the entire democratic process. The growing perception of an uneven playing field has been reinforced by the disqualification of the incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan and several other members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

That has virtually marginalized one of Pakistan’s largest political parties and has put the legitimacy of the........

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