Taliban warn Pakistanis not to vote in Saturday polls

The Pakistani Taliban on Friday warned the country's 86 million electorate not to vote in Saturday's landmark elections, telling them to keep away to "save their lives". "Democracy is against Islam and is a system for infidels. Being a Muslim, it's our responsibility to reject this thinking and ideology and be a part of the struggle to enforce Islamic sharia," spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told AFP. "To revolt against this system, the TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban) have planned several actions on May 11, so we appeal to the people to stay away from polling stations to save their lives, Ehsan added on the eve of the vote. Attacks on politicians and political parties have killed more than 120 people since mid-April, according to an AFP tally, and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said the elections were the most violent in the country's history. The TTP have branded democracy unIslamic and have singled out the main outgoing parties for particular threat, drastically curtailing public campaigning for the Pakistan People's Party and its main allies. "Elections on May 11 are being conducted under a secular system. The secular system is completely against the Islamic system," Ehsan said, speaking by telephone from an undisclosed location.