PUBLIC LECTURE: Elections in Pakistan 11 May 2013: Possible Scenarios

For the first time in Pakistan’s history, a democratically elected government has completed its term and has stepped down. Pakistani nation will be casting its vote to elect a new government on 11 May 2013. These elections are a good omen for the political and democratic culture of Pakistan as it will ensure the continuity of the democratic practices. However, the country is facing increased energy shortage, dismal economic situation, terrorism, sectarianism and ethnic problems. Who would win the elections? Would Imran Khan-led Pakistan’s Justice Movement (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, PTI) with its popularity among the youth of Pakistan, emerge as the winner or be part of a coalition? How do ethnic communities view the elections?

The panel comprises of specialists on Pakistani politics and foreign policy at theCMSS.

Naeem Salik Brigadier (Retired) is currently a PhD candidate at Centre for MuslimStates and Societies/Pol Science and IR Department at UWA, Perth. Before his retirement from Pakistan’s military, Brigadier Salik served as director of armscontrol and disarmament affairs in the Strategic Plans Division, the secretariat of Pakistan’s National Command Authority.

Rizwan Zeb is a doctoral candidate at the Center for Muslim States and Societies, University of Western Australia, and a Senior Research Analyst at the Institute for Regional Studies, Islamabad, Pakistan. He is a former Benjamin Meaker Visiting Professor in Politics , University of Bristol (2006); Visiting Scholar at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC (2004); and member, International Institute for Strategic Studies, London (current). He is co-author of Indo-Pak Conflicts: Ripe to Resolve? (Manahor, 2005).He is currenttly working on a book on the history and future of Pakistan.

Dr Samina Yasmeen is director of the Centre for Muslim States and Societies, School of Social and Cultural Studies, at UWA. She is also an associate professor in Political Sciene and International Relations, the University of Western Australia (UWA),As a specialist on politico-strategic developments in South Asia, Professor Yasmeen has focused on the role of Islamisation in Pakistan’s domestic and foreign policy. Her current research focuses on the role of Islamic militant groups, their prescriptions for social and political structures for Muslim states, and the implications of these ideas for Pakistan’s stability and foreign policy. She has conducted research on groups including Lashkar-e- Toiba (LeT) and Jaish Mohammad.