There is media's Pakistan which most people see through cameras' lense. And there is Pakistan of slumps & castles. There is also Pakistan of real & fake political dramas. And there is my Pakistan. My Pakistan's these days very cool. My Pakistan is seeing a political change which was my political dream. I always wondered how would we ever justify to our next generation the politics before July 2018 & our role in correcting it. There was not much to show for. However, something dramatic has happened on 25th July which is taking time to sink in. The enormity & impact of change coming Pakistan's way may not be understood at this point in time but it will surely unfold in due course.
Some extraordinary things that happened on election day do deserve a mention:
Political maturity of KPK has been re-asserted. Despite incomplete metro project in Peshawar, people of KPK endorsed PTI's style of governance where state seems to be interested in welfare of its people regardless of their social status & political leanings.
Punjab has cornered PML (N) to its north eastern border. Only parts of Punjab i.e. Lahore & surrounding districts voted for Noon. May be next time Noon League may also mind taking rest of Punjab along. For winning reasonable mandate in Eastern Punjab, Noon should also thank Sheen for saving the grace & for not towing the 'Narrative' i.e. 'Kiyun Nikala', 'Khalai Makhlooq' & 'Vote ko Izzat Do' (woh tou mil gai).
Sindh belongs to PPP because no one is willing to go and work there. Despite walkover in Sindh, PPP does not stand a chance to flourish unless face of Zardari is off the screens & Bilalwal is in relative control of the party.
What Karachi did was amazing. What a sweet revenge of four decades of subjugation & exploitation. Without much political mobilization on ground, result favoured PTI which was the loudest political ststement in this election.
Hats off to Baloch people who despite horrific bombings on election day near northern bypass went out to vote in numbers. They perhaps had understood the value of their vote, value of being free Muslim Pakistani & value of changing the fate of Pakistan for their next generations.
Before we divulge upon the way forward, it must be understood that IK becoming PM of this country was not my political dream coming true. Rather, it was getting rid of those leeches who have been feeding on blood of this country. At long last, people rejected them. It also warrants reiteration of the fact that center of gravity of this nation is its people not 'agriculture department' (as some media houses & politicians propagate to cover up their own incompetencies). Now those thugs have become one party against PTI. But it would be in greater interest of the country if we have another political force with better agenda than PTI to act as second party instead of these thugs. Their shelf life is already over. But establishment of new political force with ideological base is a far cry. I strongly feel that IK made a short cut of relying on electables because may be he thought he was entering in to 70s and his 22 years' struggle should see some fruition. The way he worked in elections, had he worked on his party, he won't even be needing to open a laundrette of electables. Nonetheless, he pulled up a winning formula & we need to look forward to the delivery part of it. To replace kleptocracy with welfare state, no doubt, will require some fundamental improvements in existing model of governance. But it is easier said than done because we are talking about Pakistan, the hardest country to govern. However, one can safely bet that three basic things might change in PTI's first term in office:
Economic revival & restoration of some respect in the commity of nations.
Secondly, relative independence to institution for them to operate freely (like Army, Judiciary & NAB) including police, DMG, FBR, SECP, State Bank & every other institution be free of political interference. This does not mean political leadership will not even check them for their transgressions.
Lastly, financial & legislative independence to local bodies to lookafter respective communities. This will inject fresh crop of well groomed & reliable public servants than existing cocktail of PTI leadership.
Finally, its time for team PTI to walk the walk. First thing Nawaz Sharif did was to settle scores with Pervez Musharraf. Today, NS along with his daughter is in jail & Musharraf is at large less Pakistan. Revenge is not a virtue, it can't yeild virtue. Course of revenge is round like goes around comes around cliche. IK, as he committed in his short & comprehensive speech should do better than NS & stick to his words. PTI will be under immense scrutiny because they set some higher ideals but have been found wanting on some occasions. Pakistan has suffered enough grief in past seven decades. Except few sporting achievements, there is nothing to cherish. Despite brilliant human & natural resource, the country kept reeling due to bad management. Happiness of Pakistan should not be short-lived, it deserves to remain happy for long.
Only Allah knows the whole Truth.
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