That these elections would be bloody was common knowledge. That they would be this bloody perhaps few had expected. Not a day passes when there are not three or four blasts on average, either in Karachi alone, or in different parts of the country. The most affected place after Karachi is Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). ANP is perhaps bearing the severest wrath of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). As election day draws closer, the intensity of the violence against the secular/liberal parties has escalated. One of the ANP’s candidates for the National Assembly (NA) has been killed along with his four-year-old son during campaigning. The election in his constituency has obviously been postponed. The murder of a NA candidate is a warning of serious threats that might affect the turnout on election day. If the TTP succeeds in instilling that fear, the chances are the elections will be skewed in favour of those parties they are not touching. One positive thing that has come out of this dark, negative and eerie atmosphere is the steadfastness of the ANP. They have not given up. They are putting life and limb at risk by fully participating in the elections. Neither have they boycotted nor have they shown any fear, a commendable service to democracy indeed. However, it is not sufficient to marvel at the defiance and will of the parties under attack by the militants. The caretaker government has done little or nothing to stop the violence. There is no law and order. Intelligence failure is writ large in Karachi and KP. It is as if the state has ceased to exist, while the non-state actors have been let loose to stage their theatre of terrorism. This cannot be allowed to happen. The security regime of the country has to be beefed up, even if that means calling the army to help. Any delay or suspension of the elections would mean the victory of the militants, something Pakistan cannot afford and which will be a great disservice to democracy as well. The chances are that the days closer to May 11 would get bloodier. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), in spite of tall claims, too has failed to do anything in this regard. The security of the candidates was not enhanced despite the threats. The onus of any untoward incident will directly be borne by the ECP. Therefore the stakes are high, both for the caretakers and the credibility of the ECP. *