The recounting of votes and suspicions of manipulated re­sults have ushered in an era of chaos after the February 8 elections. The unfortunate clash between the support­ers of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Pakistan Peoples Par­ty (PPP) in Hub, Balochistan is a fresh in the series of violent in­stances in the wake of post-elections restlessness. An otherwise peaceful protest to voice reservations and demand action from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) turned into an ex­change of gunfire, taking two lives and injuring a dozen. The Hub incident is a grim reminder of the potential of political difference and competition to turn into enmity when the political culture is marred by polarisation.

For political parties and their supporters to forget that all they must strive for is the country’s good and not their personal political careers and the desire to win, the politics of demonising the other has taken the crown’s seat. The air is volatile and the sentiment of self-victimisation has spread like wildfire across the political spec­trum. People care less about who won and more about whom they wish to see winning. For Balochistan particularly, elections have remained bad news even before the conduct of polls. Attacks and threats to candidates kept the province on the edge, where pri­or shutter-down strikes made the environment least suitable for campaigning. Now with protests over the elections results, the challenge is far from over. We are not far away from the day when the ‘declared-victorious’ candidates will take their respective oaths in assemblies. But the government, both at the centre and in the province, must be ready for a very tough terrain where political dif­ferences are so stark that violence has become a norm.

Incidents like Hub not only disrupt the pending electoral pro­cess but also result in tragic loss of life. The need for peaceful res­olution and adherence to legal procedures cannot be overstated, as violence only exacerbates the situation and undermines dem­ocratic principles. It is imperative for authorities to swiftly inves­tigate the incident and hold the responsible accountable. More­over, measures must be taken to ensure the safety and security of all parties involved in the electoral process to prevent further escalation. Restrain is all that must reign supreme.