Source: ET
We would all like to believe that the ballot is more powerful than the bullet, and that the pen is mightier than the sword. They are, but only in the long run. In the heat of battle, a pen is rather useless. Similarly, the positive effects of the ballot can be diminished, if not destroyed, by the use of the bullet. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) understands this, just as they understand that in the long term, the greatest threat they face is from a sustained and pluralistic democracy. Military operations may roll back their physical gains, and efficient policing and prosecution — almost non-existent at this stage — may hamper their freedom of operation, but only an inclusive democracy can hope to drain the swamps that breed these monsters.