Most of us have been paying an awful lot of attention these days to the Democratic primary race here at home, but there's another big election coming up, and Senators Kerry, Biden and Hagel will travel to Pakistan to observe, along with about a thousand other international visitors, the election of Pakistani parliament members. Tens of thousands of Pakistani citizens will be monitoring as well.

Senator Kerry commented on the upcoming elections where there is fear not only of election irregularities, but the potential for violence.

"The stakes are very high here," Sen. John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat and former presidential nominee who is among three senior U.S. lawmakers traveling to Pakistan to observe the vote, told reporters.

"I hope the government understands that merely clinging to power meets nobody's objectives because it will wind up actually playing into the hands of the radicals and of the instability not only of the country, but of the region."

The Senator also commented on his trip in an update to a DailyKos diary.

A few of you have asked – and I want to underscore - that our trip to Pakistan isn’t legally permitted to be a “monitoring” exercise - it’s an observation group – but I’ve done these for years going back to Marcos/Phillipines – and I do believe having senior American presence there on the ground talking to people in real time matters; it sends a signal that we’re serious enough to fly across the globe to see for ourselves whether the elections are – as promised - free, fair, and transparent - I think having senior members of the Foreign Relations Committee on the ground how seriously we take these elections.

Despite the concern, there's also some effort among the youth of Pakistan to encourage citizens to make an informed choice in Monday's election. A group called Future Leaders of Pakistan has launched 'Parliament Watch', a website and discussion board where citizens are able to learn about the candidates. Although I know nothing about the organization other than what's on their site and what I could find via 'the google', their mission seems to be progressive, they appear not to endorse any candidate, and their goal with respect to the election is open discussion and a commitment to transparency. It's a good place to start.

From all accounts, things are looking pretty tenuous. Musharraf's job approval rating is even lower than Bush's, believe it or not, and the results of the election might not bode well for his future. Observers and citizen poll watchers have an important role to play. Personally, I'll be happy when it's Tuesday.